Anticancer peptides

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, and “q” represent integers and are selected from 0 and 1; and “r” is comprised from 1 to 10; a linker biradical of formula (II), which is connecting an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i” in the peptide sequence of formula (I) with an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i+4” or “i+7” in the peptide sequence of formula (I); a C-terminal end corresponding to —C(O)R 4 ; and a N-terminal end corresponding to —NHR 5 . The peptides of the invention show anticancer activity and an appropriate half-life and stability. Formula (I).

This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application EP17382494.7 filed on Jul. 25, 2017.

STATEMENT REGARDING SEQUENCE LISTING

The Sequence Listing associated with this application is provided in text format in lieu of a paper copy, and is hereby incorporated by reference into the specification. The name of the text file containing the Sequence Listing is Sequence.txt. The text file is 13.8 KB, was created on Jan. 24, 2020, and is being submitted electronically via EFS-Web.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of antineoplastic compounds and, more particularly, to the design and synthesis of peptides with improved anticancer activity.

BACKGROUND ART

The therapeutic use of proteins and peptides that act intracellularly holds much promise for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Cancer is the result in the occurrence of multiple factors. Mutations may occur in proto-oncogenes that cause cellular proliferation to increase. Mutations also may occur in tumor suppressors whose normal function is to regulate cellular proliferation. Mutations in DNA repair enzymes impair the ability of the cell to repair damage before proliferating.

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes whose absence (loss or inactivation) can lead to cancer. Tumor suppressor genes encode proteins that slow cell growth and division. Wild-type alleles of tumor suppressor genes express proteins that suppress abnormal cellular proliferation. When the gene coding for a tumor suppressor protein is mutated or deleted, the resulting mutant protein or the complete lack of tumor suppressor protein expression may fail to correctly regulate cellular proliferation, and abnormal cellular proliferation may take place, particularly if there is already existing damage to the cellular regulatory mechanism. A number of well-studied human tumors and tumor cell lines have been shown to have missing or nonfunctional tumor suppressor genes.

Currently, there are few effective options for the treatment of many common cancer types. The course of treatment for a given individual depends on the diagnosis, the stage to which the disease has developed and factors such as age, sex and general health of the patient. The most conventional options of cancer treatment are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. These therapies each are accompanied with varying side effects and they have varying degrees of efficacy. These side effects, together with the multidrug resistance already disclosed for traditional chemotherapy, have prompted urgent needs for novel anticancer drugs or therapeutic approaches.

Anticancer peptides have become promising molecules for novel anticancer agents because of their unique mechanism and several extraordinary properties. However, properties such as the specificity and sensitivity shown by the peptides already disclosed in the prior art, need further improvement.

Thus, in spite of the efforts made, there is still the need of developing further polypeptides with appropriate anticancer profile.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present inventors found that sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 was not effective in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. Surprisingly, when said sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 was modified, either by the inclusion of a side chain bridge (stapling) or by conjugation to a cell penetrating peptide, the peptide sequence became remarkably active in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation (see Tables 5-6 below). The efficiency showed by the peptides of the invention makes that a small amount is required to achieve the desired effect.

It is known in the state of the art that hepatotoxicity is a side-effect related to the administration of anticancer compounds. As it is shown in Table 7 below, the peptides of the invention show such anticancer effect without giving rise to toxicity in human hepatocytes.

Thus, in a first aspect the present invention provides an anticancer peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof:

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, and “q” represent integers and are selected from 0 and 1; and “r” is comprised from 1 to 10; the peptide comprising:

-   -   a linker biradical “L” of formula (II)

—[(R₁)_(a)—(R₂)—(R₃)_(b)]_(c)—   (II)

which is connecting an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i” in the peptide of formula (I) with an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i+4” or “i+7” in the peptide of formula (I),

-   -   a C-terminal end corresponding to —C(O)R₄; and     -   a N-terminal end corresponding to —NHR₅;         wherein         -   “a” and “b” are the same or different and are 0 or 1;         -   “c” is comprised from 1 to 10;         -   R₁ and R₃ are biradicals independently selected from the             group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl             substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group             consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉,             —SOR₁₀, —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₂; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl;             (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl substituted by one or more radicals selected             from the group consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆,             —NR₇R₈, —SR₉, —SOR₁₀, —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₂; (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl;             and (C₂-C₁₀)alkinyl substituted by one or more radicals             selected from the group consisting of: halogen,             (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉, —SOR₁₀, —SO₂R₁₁, and             —CO₂R₁₂;         -   R₂ is a biradical selected from the group consisting of:             —O—, C(═O), C(═O )NR₁₃, C(═O)O, S(═O), S(═O)₂, NR₁₄,             (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl,             —NR₁₅-NR₁₆—, —N═N—, —S—S—, and a known ring system             comprising from 3 to 14 members, the system comprising from             1 to 3 rings, where:             -   each one of the rings is saturated, partially                 unsaturated, or aromatic;             -   the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused,             -   each one of the members forming the known ring system is                 selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—,                 —NH—, —N—, —SH—, —S—, and —O—; and             -   the ring system is optionally substituted by one or more                 radicals independently selected from the group                 consisting of halogen, —OH, —NO₂, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl,                 (C₁-C₁₀)haloalkyl, and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl-O—; and         -   R₄ is a radical selected from the group consisting of —OH             and —NR₁₇R₁₈;         -   R₅ is a radical selected from the group consisting of —H and             (C₁-C₂₀)alkyl;         -   R₆, R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁, R₁₂ R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅, R₁₆, R₁₇ and             R₁₈ are radicals independently selected from the group             consisting of: —H and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and         -   the amino acids, which are connected by the linker, being of             formula (III)

wherein

-   -   R₁₉ is a monoradical selected trom the group consisting of: —H,         (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl, and a known         ring system comprising from 3 to 14 members, the system         comprising from 1 to 3 rings, where:     -   each one of the rings is saturated, partially unsaturated, or         aromatic;     -   the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused,     -   each one of the members forming the known ring system is         selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—, —NH—, —N—,         —SH—, —S—, and —O—;         or, alternatively, a peptide or pharmaceutical acceptable salt         thereof having an identity of at least 85% with the peptide of         sequence SEQ ID No: 18,

wherein

-   -   L is a linker biradical of formula (II) as defined above, and     -   X is an amino acid of formula (III), as defined above.

Due to such cancer cell proliferative inhibition, the peptides of the invention are promising anticancer peptides.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides peptide having an identity with respect to sequence SEQ ID NO:1 of at least 85%, or a pharmaceutical salt thereof, conjugated to a cell penetrating peptide.

In addition to the above, as it is provided below, the peptides of the invention show an appropriate half-life and stability in plasma, the amount (and effect) of the peptide being sustained in time for about 24 hours after its incubation in human plasma (Table 8, below).

These data allow concluding that the peptides of the invention are suitable as anti-cancer therapeutics.

In a third aspect the present invention provides a fusion protein comprising the peptide as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof of the invention, or the fusion protein as defined in the third aspect of the invention, together with acceptable pharmaceutical excipients and/or carriers.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention or the fusion protein as defined in the third aspect of the invention for use as a medicament. This aspect can be alternatively formulated as the use of a peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention or the fusion protein as defined in the third aspect of the invention, in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a disease. This aspect can also be alternatively formulated as a method for the treatment of a disease, the method comprising administering an effective therapeutic amount of a peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention or of the fusion protein of the third aspect of the invention, to a subject in need thereof.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention or the fusion protein as defined in the third aspect of the invention or the pharmaceutical composition as defined in the fourth aspect of the invention for use in the treatment of cancer. This aspect can alternatively be formulated as the use of the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention or the fusion protein as defined in the third aspect of the invention or the pharmaceutical composition as defined in the fourth aspect of the invention in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of cancer. This aspect can also be alternatively formulated as a method for the treatment of cancer, the method comprising administering an effective therapeutic amount of the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention or the fusion protein as defined in the third aspect of the invention or the pharmaceutical composition as defined in the fourth aspect of the invention, to a subject in need thereof.

In further aspects the present invention provides: (a) a combination comprising the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention, or the fusion peptide as defined in the third aspect of the invention or the pharmaceutical composition of the fourth aspect of the invention; and a therapeutic agent, particularly an anti-cancer agent; (b) a combination comprising the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention, or the fusion peptide of the third aspect of the invention or the pharmaceutical composition of the fourth aspect of the invention; and a therapeutic agent, particularly an anti-cancer agent, for use as a medicament, more particularly for use in the treatment of cancer; (c) a peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention, or the fusion peptide as defined in the third aspect of the invention, or the pharmaceutical composition as defined in the fourth aspect of the invention for use in combination therapy for the prevention or treatment of cancer, wherein the therapy comprises its administration to a subject simultaneously, sequentially or separately with an anti-cancer agent; and (d) an anti-cancer agent for use in combination therapy with the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in the first or second aspect of the invention, or the fusion peptide as defined in the third aspect of the invention, or the pharmaceutical composition as defined in the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the use comprises the prevention or treatment of cancer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a Western-blot analysis of the amount of cleaved Parp protein induced by the administration of H14 peptide of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a Western-blot analysis of the amount of Caspase 3 induced by the administration of H14 peptide of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All terms as used herein in this application, unless otherwise stated, shall be understood in their ordinary meaning as known in the art. Other more specific definitions for certain terms as used in the present application are as set forth below and are intended to apply uniformly through-out the specification and claims unless an otherwise expressly set out definition provides a broader definition.

For the purposes of the present invention, any ranges given include both the lower and the upper end-points of the range.

The present invention provides peptides comprising sequences of formula (I) or alternatively having an identity of at least 85% with the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 18, as it has been stated above.

As used herein, the term “pharmaceutical acceptable salt” refers to those salts which are, within the scope of sound medical judgment, suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans and lower animals without undue toxicity, irritation, allergic response and the like, and are commensurate with a reasonable benefit/risk ratio. Pharmaceutical acceptable salts are well known in the art. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable, nontoxic acid addition salts are salts of an amino group formed with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and perchloric acid or with organic acids such as acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, succinic acid or malonic acid or by using other methods used in the art such as ion exchange. Other pharmaceutical acceptable salts include adipate, alginate, ascorbate, aspartate, benzenesulfonate, benzoate, bisulfate, borate, butyrate, camphorate, camphorsulfonate, citrate, cyclopentanepropionate, digluconate, dodecylsulfate, ethanesulfonate, formate, fumarate, glucoheptonate, glycerophosphate, gluconate, hemisulfate, heptanoate, hexanoate, hydroiodide, 2-hydroxy-ethanesulfonate, lactobionate, lactate, laurate, lauryl sulfate, malate, maleate, malonate, methanesulfonate, 2-naphthalenesulfonate, nicotinate, nitrate, oleate, oxalate, palmitate, pamoate, pectinate, persulfate, 3-phenylpropionate, phosphate, picrate, pivalate, propionate, stearate, succinate, sulfate, tartrate, thiocyanate, p-toluenesulfonate, undecanoate, valerate salts, and the like. Salts derived from appropriate bases include alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, and ammonium.

Representative alkali or alkaline earth metal salts include sodium, lithium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and the like. Further pharmaceutical acceptable salts include, when appropriate, nontoxic ammonium, quaternary ammonium, and amine cations formed using counterions such as halide, hydroxide, carboxylate, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, lower alkyl sulfonate and aryl sulfonate.

The term (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl refers to a saturated straight or branched alkyl chain having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms. Illustrative non-limitative examples are: methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, neo-pentyl and n-hexyl.

The term (C₁-C₂₀)alkyl refers to a saturated straight or branched alkyl chain having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms.

The term (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl refers to a saturated straight, or branched alkyl chain containing from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and also containing one or more double bonds. Illustrative non-limitative examples are ethenyl, propenyl, butenyl, 1-methyl-2-buten-1-yl, and the like.

The term (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl refers to a saturated straight, or branched alkyl chain containing from 2 to 20 carbon atoms and also containing one or more triple bonds. Examples include, among others, ethynyl, 1-propynyl, 2-butynyl, 1,3-butadinyl, 4-pentynyl, and 1-hexynyl.

The term “halogen” refers to the group in the periodic table consisting of five chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At).

The term (C₁-C₁₀)haloalkyl refers to a group resulting from the replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms from a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl group with one or more, preferably from 1 to 6, halogen atoms, which can be the same or different. Examples include, among others, trifluoromethyl, fluoromethyl, 1-chloroethyl, 2-chloroethyl, 1-fluoroethyl, 2-fluoroethyl, 2-bromoethyl, 2-iodoethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 3-fluoropropyl, 3-chloropropyl, 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl, 2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl, heptafluoropropyl, 4-fluorobutyl, and nonafluorobutyl.

The term “known” ring system as used herein refers to a ring system which is chemically feasible and is known in the art and so intends to exclude those ring systems that are not chemically possible.

According to the present invention when the ring system is formed by “isolated” rings means that the ring system is formed by two, three or four rings and said rings are bound via a bond from the atom of one ring to the atom of the other ring. The term “isolated” also embraces the embodiment in which the ring system has only one ring. Illustrative non-limitative examples of known ring systems consisting of one ring are those derived from: cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclhexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclopropenyl, cyclobutenyl, cyclopentenyl, phenyl, and cycloheptenyl.

According to the present invention when the ring system has rings “totally fused”, means that the ring system is formed by two, three or four rings in which two or more atoms are common to two adjoining rings. Illustrative non-limitative examples are 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthyl, 1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, anthryl, or phenanthryl.

According to the present invention when the ring system is “partially fused” it means that the ring system is formed by three or four rings, being at least two of said rings totally fused (i.e. two or more atoms being common to the two adjoining rings) and the remaining ring(s) being bound via a bond from the atom of one ring to the atom of one of the fused rings.

The term “biradical” as used in the present application, means an even-electron chemical compound with two free radical centres which act independently of each other (IUPAC Gold Book, web page: http://goldbook.iupac.org, or IUPAC book, Version 2.3.3, 2014-02-24, page 168).

Unless otherwise stated, the amino acids forming the peptides of the invention can have L- or D-configuration.

Amino acids used in the construction of peptides of the present invention may be prepared by organic synthesis, or obtained by other routes, such as, for example, degradation of or isolation from a natural source.

In one embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided below, when the peptide is of formula (I), r is from 1 to 3. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided below, when the peptide is of formula (I), r is 1. Thus, the peptide of the first aspect of the invention consists of the amino acid sequence of formula (I)

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, a=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided below, b=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, a=b=c=r=1.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁ and R₃ are biradicals independently selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁ and R₃ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₂ is a biradical selected from the group consisting: —O—, C(═O), C(═O)NR₁₃, C(═O)O, S(═O), S(═O)₂, NR₁₄, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl, —NR₁₅-NR₁₆—, —N═N—, —S—S—, and a known ring system consisting of one ring from 3 to 6 members, the ring:

-   -   being saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic;     -   each one of the members forming the known ring system being         selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—, —NH—, —N—,         —SH—, —S—, and —O—; and     -   the ring system being optionally substituted by one or more         radicals independently selected from the group consisting of         halogen, —OH, —NO₂, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₁-C₁₀)haloalkyl, and         (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl-O—.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₂ is a biradical selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁ and R₃ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁ and R₃ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and a=b=c=1.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁ and R₃ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and r=a=b=c=1.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁₉ is selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁₉ is a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl monoradical. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₄ is —OH (i.e., the C-terminal end is —C(O)OH). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₄ is —NR₁₇R₁₈, R₁₇ and R₁₈ having the same meaning. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, R₄ is —NH₂ (i.e., the C-terminal end is —C(O)NH₂).

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with anty of the embodiments provided above or below, the N-terminal end corresponds to —NH₂. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the C-terminal and N-terminal ends of the peptide of the invention are, respectively, —C(O)OH and —NH₂. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the C-terminal and N-terminal ends of the peptide of the invention are, respectively, —C(O)NH₂. and —NH₂.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, “m” and “n” means the same (i.e., both are 0 or 1).

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, “p” and “q” means the same (i.e., both are 0 or 1).

In one embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (I):

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, “q”, and “r” are as defined above, and the peptide comprises a linker biradical of formula (II), a C-terminal end and a N-terminal end as defined in any of the embodiments provided above.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) or (Ib):

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, “q”, L, and R₁₉ are as defined above.

In one embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia), wherein “m” and “n” are the same. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) wherein “m” and “n” are 1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) wherein “p” and “q” are 0. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) wherein “m” and “n” are 1, “p” and “q” are 0, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) wherein “m” and “n” are 1, “p” and “q” are 0, a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) wherein “m” and “n” are 1, “p” and “q” are 0, r=a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib), wherein “m” and “n” are the same. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib) wherein “p” and “q” are the same. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ia) wherein “m” and “n” are 1, “p” and “q” are 0, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib) wherein “m” and “n” are 0, “p” and “q” are 1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib) wherein “m” and “n” are 1, “p” and “q” are 0, a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib) wherein “m” and “n” are 0, “p” and “q” are 1, a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ib) wherein “m” and “n” are 0, “p” and “q” are 1, r=a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl.

Alternatively, in another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one having at least a 85% of identity with the sequence SEQ ID NO: 18. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide has an identity with respect of sequence SEQ ID NO: 18 of 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100%. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof, which has at least a 85% of identity with the sequence SEQ ID NO: 18, is selected from the group consisting of: (Ibis1), (Ibis2), (Ibis3) (Ibis4), (Ibis5) and (Ibis6):

being AA₃ an amino acid other than Thr, and “X” and “L” as defined in any of the above embodiments;

being AA₄ other than Glu, and “X” and “L” as defined in any of the above embodiments;

being AA₅ other than Pro, and “X” and “L” as defined in any of the above embodiments;

being AA₂ other than Ala, AA₃ other than Thr, AA₄ other than Glu, and “X” and “L” as defined in any of the above embodiments;

being AA₁ other than Asn, and “X” and “L” as defined in any of the above embodiments;

being AA₂ other than Ala, and “X” and “L” as defined in any of the above embodiments.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (Ibis1). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1), AA₃ is a non-polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein AA₃ is Ala. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₃ is a non-polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₃ is a non-polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₃ is Ala. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis1) wherein “m” and “n” a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₃ is Ala.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (Ibis2). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁ -C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2), AA₄ is a non-polar amino acid or polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein AA₄ is Ala, Gln or Phe. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₄ is a non-polar amino acid or polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₄ is a non-polar amino acid or polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₄ is Ala, Phe or Gln. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis2) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₄ is Ala, Phe or Gln.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (Ibis3). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3), AA₅ is a polar amino acid or Phe. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein AA₅ is Ser, Gln or Phe. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₅ is a polar amino acid or Phe. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₅ is a polar amino acid or Phe. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₅ is Ser, Gln or Phe. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis3) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₅ is Ser, Gln or Phe.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (Ibis4). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4), AA₂ is a polar amino acid, AA₃ is a non-polar amino acid, and AA₄ is a polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein AA₂ is Gln. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein AA₃ is Ala. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein AA₄ is Gln. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; AA₂ is a polar amino acid, AA₃ is a non-polar amino acid, and AA₄ is a a polar amino . In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; AA₂ is a polar amino acid, AA₃ is a non-polar amino acid, and AA₄ is a polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; AA₂ is Gln; AA₃ is Ala; and AA₄ is Gln. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis4) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; AA₂ is Gln; AA₃ is Ala; and AA₄ is Gln.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (Ibis5). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis5), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis5) wherein a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis5) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis5), AA₁ is a polar amino acid other than Asn. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula Ibis5), AA₁ is Gln. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis5) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₁ is a polar amino acid other than Asn. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis5) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₁ is Gln.

In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt corresponds to one of formula (Ibis6). In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis6), wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis6) wherein a=b=c=1. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis6) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis6), AA₂ is a polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis6) wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₂ is a polar amino acid. In another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide or pharmaceutical salt thereof is one of formula (Ibis6) wherein a=b=c=1, R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are the same or different and represent (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and AA₂ is Gln.

In the present invention, by “non-polar amino acid” it is undertood any amino acid with hydrophobic nature. Non-polar amino acids have side chains which are hydrocarbon alkyl groups (alkane branches) or aromatic (benzene rings) or heteroaromatic (e.g. indole ring). Illustrative non-limitative examples of common non-polar amino acids are Ala, Val, Leu, Ile, Pro, Trp, Gly, Phe, and Met.

In the present invention, by “polar amino acid” it is to be understood any polar-neutral amino acid, which has polar but not charged groups at neutral pH in the side chain (such as hydroxyl, amide or thiol groups). Illustrative non-limitative examples of polar neutral amino acids are Ser, Thr, Cys, Tyr, Asn, and Gln.

In another embodiment of the invention, the peptide is selected from the group consisting of sequence having at least 85% of sequence identity with any of the peptide sequences SEQ ID NO: 2 to 14. In another embodiment of the invention, the peptide is selected from the group consisting of sequence having 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% of sequence identity with any of the peptide sequences SEQ ID NO: 2 to 14. In another embodiment of the invention, the peptide is selected from the group consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO: 2 to 14. In another embodiment of the invention, the peptide is selected from the group consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO: 2 to 4.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a peptide having at least an identity of sequence with respect to sequence SEQ ID NO:1 of at least 85%, or a pharmaceutical salt thereof, conjugated to a cell penetrating peptide.

In one embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the peptide has an identity with respect of sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 of 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100%.

In the present invention the term “identity” refers to the percentage of residues or bases that are identical in the two sequences when the sequences are optimally aligned. If, in the optimal alignment, a position in a first sequence is occupied by the same amino acid residue or nucleotide as the corresponding position in the second sequence, the sequences exhibit identity with respect to that position. The level of identity between two sequences (or “percent sequence identity”) is measured as a ratio of the number of identical positions shared by the sequences with respect to the size of the sequences (i.e., percent sequence identity=(number of identical positions/total number of positions)×100). In one embodiment, when the identity is calculated with respect to a peptide of sequence SEQ ID NO: 18, the two aminoacidic residues connected by the linker, are not considered when performing the alignment to determine the identical positions.

A number of mathematical algorithms for rapidly obtaining the optimal alignment and calculating identity between two or more sequences are known and incorporated into a number of available software programs. Examples of such programs include the MATCH-BOX, MULTAIN, GCG, FASTA, and ROBUST programs for amino acid sequence analysis, among others. Preferred software analysis programs include the ALIGN, CLUSTAL W, and BLAST programs (e.g., BLAST 2.1, BL2SEQ, and later versions thereof).

For amino acid sequence analysis, a weight matrix, such as the BLOSUM matrixes (e.g., the BLOSUM45, BLOSUM50, BLOSUM62, and BLOSUM80 matrixes), Gonnet matrixes, or PAM matrixes (e.g., the PAM30, PAM70, PAM120, PAM160, PAM250, and PAM350 matrixes), are used in determining identity.

The BLAST programs provide analysis of at least two amino acid sequences, either by aligning a selected sequence against multiple sequences in a database (e.g., GenSeq), or, with BL2SEQ, between two selected sequences. BLAST programs are preferably modified by low complexity filtering programs such as the DUST or SEG programs, which are preferably integrated into the BLAST program operations. If gap existence costs (or gap scores) are used, the gap existence cost preferably is set between about −5 and −15. Similar gap parameters can be used with other programs as appropriate. The BLAST programs and principles underlying them are further described in, e.g., Altschul et al., “Basic local alignment search tool”, 1990, J. Mol. Biol, v. 215, pages 403-410.

For multiple sequence analysis, the CLUSTAL W program can be used. The CLUSTAL W program desirably is run using “dynamic” (versus “fast”) settings. Amino acid sequences are evaluated using a variable set of BLOSUM matrixes depending on the level of identity between the sequences. The CLUSTAL W program and underlying principles of operation are further described in, e.g., Higgins et al., “CLUSTAL V: improved software for multiple sequence alignment”, 1992, CABIOS, 8(2), pages 189-191.

In the present invention the term “cell penetrating peptide” (“CPP”) refers to short peptides that facilitate cellular uptake of various molecular cargo (from nanosize particles to small chemical molecules and large fragments of DNA). The “cargo” is associated to peptides via the C(t) or N(t)-end, either through chemical linkage via covalent bonds or through non-covalent interactions. The function of the CPPs are to deliver the cargo into cells, a process that commonly occurs through endocytosis with the cargo delivered to delivery vectors for use in research and medicine. Current use is limited by a lack of cell specificity in CPP-mediated cargo delivery and insufficient understanding of the modes of their uptake. CPPs typically have an amino acid composition that either contains a high relative abundance of positively charged amino acids such as lysine or arginine or has sequences that contain an alternating pattern of polar/charged amino acids and non-polar, hydrophobic amino acids. These two types of structures are referred to as polycationic or amphipathic, respectively. A third class of CPPs are the hydrophobic peptides, containing only apolar residues, with low net charge or have hydrophobic amino acid groups that are crucial for cellular uptake. The conjugation of the CPP to the peptide provided in the present invention can be performed following well-known routine protocols, such as solid phase synthesis or solution selective capping. (cf. Copolovici D. M. et al., “Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Design, Synthesis, and Applications”, 2014, ACS Nano, 2014, 8 (3), pp 1972-1994).

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the peptide consists of SEQ ID NO: 1.

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, provided above or below, the cell penetrating peptide is a polycationic CPP. In another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the cell penetrating peptide is polyArg.

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the peptide is of sequence SEQ ID NO: 15 (hereinafter also referred as “LH02”):

Arg-Arg-Arg-Arg-Arg-Arg-Arg-Arg-Val-Lys-Leu-Val-Asn-Leu-Gly-Phe-Ala-Thr-Leu-Arg-Glu-His-Val-Pro

In another embodiment, the peptide of the first or second aspect is conjugated to a label. In one embodiment, the label is conjugated to the N-terminal of the peptide.

A “label” as used herein is a molecule or compound that can be detected by a variety of methods including fluorescence, electrical conductivity, radioactivity, size, and the like. The label may be intrinsically capable of emitting a signal, such as for example fluorescent label that emits light of a particular wavelength following excitation by light of another lower, characteristic wavelength. Alternatively, the label may not be capable of intrinsically emitting a signal but it may be capable of being bound by another compound that does emit a signal. An example of this latter situation is a label such as biotin which itself does not emit a signal but which when bound to labeled avidin or streptavidin molecules can be detected. Other examples of this latter kind of label are ligands that bind specifically to particular receptors. Detectably labeled receptors are allowed to bind to ligand labeled unit specific markers in order to visualize such markers.

Labels that may be used according to the invention include but are not limited to electron spin resonance molecule, a fluorescent molecule, a chemiluminescent molecule, a radioisotope, an enzyme substrate, an enzyme, a biotin molecule, an avidin molecule, an electrical charge transferring molecule, a semiconductor nanocrystal, a semiconductor nanoparticle, a colloid gold nanocrystal, a ligand, a microbead, a magnetic bead, a paramagnetic molecule, a quantum dot, a chromogenic substrate, an affinity molecule, a protein, a peptide, nucleic acid, a carbohydrate, a hapten, an antigen, an antibody, an antibody fragment, and a lipid.

Radioisotopes can be detected with film or charge coupled devices (CODs), ligands can be detected by binding of a receptor having a fluorescent, chemiluminescent or enzyme tag, and microbeads can be detected using electron or atomic force microscopy.

The conjugation of the label to the peptide can be performed following routine protocols well-known for the skilled in the art.

In another embodiment, the peptide of the first or second aspects is conjugated to a drug. In one embodiment, the drug is conjugated to the N-terminal end of the peptide.

Alternatively, the peptide of the invention can be conjugated to a stabilising moiety, which enhances the biological properties of the peptide, for example by improving its stability, solubility, bioavailibity and/or affinity. In another embodiment, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above, the stabilising moiety is selected from mono or bifunctional poly(ethyleneglycol) (“PEG”), poly(vinyl alcohol) (“PVA”); other poly(alkylene oxides) such as polypropylene glycol) (“PPG”); and poly(oxyethylated polyols) such as poly(oxyethylated glycerol), poly(oxyethylated sorbitol), and poly(oxyethylated glucose), and the like. In another embodiment of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide of the invention is conjugated to a poly(ethyleneglycol). In another embodiment of the invention, optionally in combination with any of the embodiments provided above or below, the peptide of the invention is conjugated to a —(CH₂—O)₄— (hereinafter also referred as “PEG4”).

In another embodiment, the peptide is of sequence SEQ ID NO: 16 (hereinafter also referred as “H14-PEG4”):

The process for the preparation of the peptide according to the first aspect of the invention comprises:

(1.a) the coupling, by condensation, of the corresponding amino acids of the peptide with a compound of formula (IV) and a compound of formula (V), which correspond to the amino acids referred as “i” and “i+4” or “i+7”. Compounds (IV) and (V) will be those suffering a subsequent cyclization step to generate the “L” biradical”:

wherein R₁₉ is as defined above, Z₁ and Z₂ are the same or different and represent (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and

(1.b) a cyclization step comprising the ring-closed metathesis of Z₁ and Z₂ (cf. Kim Young-Woo et al., “Synthesis of all-hydrocarbon stapled a-helical peptides by ring-closing olefin metathesis”, Nature Protocols, 2011, 6(6), p. 761-771; Scott J. M. et al., “Application of Ring-Closing Metathesis to the Synthesis of Rigidified Amino Acids and Peptides”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1996, v.118 (40), pp 9606-9614) performed in solution with a Grubbs (I or II generation) catalyst; or, alternatively,

(2a) the coupling, by condensation, of the required amino acids, including a compound of formula (VI) and a compound of formula (VII), which correspond to the amino acids referred as “i” and “i+4” or “1+7”. Compounds (VI) and (VII) will be those suffering a subsequent cyclization step to generate the “L” biradical”:

wherein R₁₉ is as defined above, Z₃ and Z₄ are the same or different, selected from the group consisting of: halogen —SH, —NHR₂₀, —OH, (C₂-C₁₀)alkyl-SH, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl-NHR₂₁, C(═O)OH, (C₁-C₁₀)C(═O)OH, C(═O)NHR₂₂, (C₁-C₁₀)alkylC(═O)NHR₂₃, OR₂₄, C(═O)-halogen, C(═O)—OR₂₅, S(═O)-halogen, S(═O)—OR₂₆, S(═O)₂R₂₇ where R₂₀, R₂₁ R₂₂, R₂₃, R₂₄, R₂₅ R₂₆ and R₂₇ are monoradicals selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkinyl; a known ring system comprising from 3 to 14 carbon atoms, the system comprising from 1 to 3 rings, where:

-   -   each one of the rings is saturated, partially unsaturated, or         aromatic;     -   the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused,     -   each one of the members forming the known ring system is         selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—, —NH—, —N—,         —SH—, —S—, and —O—; and     -   the ring system is optionally substituted by one or more         radicals independently selected from the group consisting of         halogen, —OH, —NH₂, —SH, C(═O)-halogen (C₁-C₁₀)haloalkyl, and         (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl-O—; and

(2b) a cyclization step comprising the coupling reaction between Z₃ and Z₄ radicals; or, alternatively,

(3a) the coupling, by condensation, of the corresponding amino acids of the peptide with a compound of formula (VIII) and a compound of formula (IX), which correspond to the amino acids referred as “i” and “i+4” or “i+7”. Compounds (VIII) and (IX) will be those suffering a subsequent cyclization step to generate the “L” biradical”:

wherein R₁₉ is as defined above, one of Z₅ and Z₆ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl and the other is (C₂-C₁₀)alkylN₃; and

(3.b) a cyclization step comprising the condensation of Z₅ and Z₆ radicals by well-known protocols such as the Cu(I)-mediated Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction (a.k.a. a “click” reaction) to generate a 1,4-substituted 1,2,3-triazole bridge (cf. Kolb H. C. et al., “The growing impact of click chemistry on drug discovery”, 2003, Drug Discov Today, 8(24):1128-1137).

The process for the preparation of the peptide according to the second aspect of the invention comprises the coupling, by condensation, of the carboxylic group or C-terminus of one amino acid with the amino group or N-terminus of another, this coupling reaction being repeated the number of times required until the desired peptide is obtained. Alternatively, the peptide having the identity with sequence SEQ ID NO: 1 is prepared by coupling the required amino acids, and, in a second stage, the peptide is fused to the cell penetrating peptide, following any of the protocols known in the prior art (some of which have been previously referred).

The compounds of formula (IV), (V), (VI), (VII), (VIII), and (IX) are commercially available and are coupled by condensation to the already formed portion of peptide sequence. These compounds can carry beads for the appropriate solid phase synthesis of the peptide, as well as protecting groups of the carboxy, amino or side-chain. Illustrative non-limitative examples of compounds are: 2-(2′-propenyl)alanine, 2-(3′-butenyl)glycine, 2-(4′-pentenyl)alanine, 2-(6′-heptenyl) alanine, 2-(7′-octenyl)alanine, and allyl-glycine, 5-azido-norvaline, alpha-propargyl-alanine, among others.

The “coupling” step can be performed in solid phase, following the protocol “deprotection-wash-coupling-wash”, by condensation of the carboxylic group of one amino acid with the amino group of another amino acid residue, using amino acids as defined above as well as alpha-alpha di-sustituted amino acids of formula (IV) to (IX) in the order of interest to obtain the desired peptide.

The general principle of solid phase peptide synthesis is to repeat cycles of deprotection-wash-coupling-wash. The free N-terminal amine of a solid-phase attached peptide is coupled to a single N-protected amino acid unit. This unit is then deprotected, revealing a new N-terminal amine to which a further amino acid may be attached. Amino acids have reactive moieties at the N- and C-termini, which facilitates amino acid coupling during synthesis. Many amino acids also have reactive side chain functional groups, which can interact with free termini or other side chain groups during synthesis and peptide elongation and negatively influence yield and purity. To facilitate proper amino acid synthesis with minimal side chain reactivity, chemical groups have been developed to bind to specific amino acid functional groups and block, or protect, the functional group from nonspecific reactions. These protecting groups, while vast in nature, can be separated into three groups, as follows: N-terminal protecting groups, C-terminal protecting groups (mostly used in liquid-phase synthesis), and side chain protecting groups.

For coupling the peptides the carboxyl group is usually activated. This is important for speeding up the reaction. There are two main types of activating groups: carbodiimides and triazolols. However, the use of pentafluorophenyl esters (FDPP, PFPOH]) and BOP-Cl are useful for cyclising peptides.

Purified, individual amino acids are reacted with these protecting groups prior to synthesis and then selectively removed during specific steps of peptide synthesis.

Exemplary resins which may be employed by the present invention include, but are not limited to: (1) alkenyl resins (e.g., REM resin, vinyl sulfone polymer-bound resin, vinyl-polystyrene resin); (2) amine functionalized resins (e.g., amidine resin, N-(4-Benzyloxybenzyl)hydroxylamine polymer bound, (aminomethyl)polystyrene, polymer bound (R)-(+)-a-methylbenzylamine, 2-Chlorotrityl Knorr resin, 2-N-Fmoc-Amino-dibenzocyclohepta-1,4-diene, polymer-bound resin, 4-[4-(1-Fmoc-aminoethyl)-2-methoxy-5-nitrophenoxy]butyramidomethyl-polystyrene resin, 4-Benzyloxybenzylamine, polymer-bound, 4-Carboxybenzenesulfonamide, polymer-bound, Bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)thiopseudourea, polymer-bound, Dimethylaminomethyl-polystyrene, Fmoc-3-amino-3-(2-nitrophenyl)propionic acid, polymer-bound, N-Methyl aminomethylated polystyrene, PAL resin, Sieber amide resin, tert-Butyl N-(2-mercaptoethyl)carbamate, polymer-bound, Triphenylchloromethane-4-carboxamide polymer bound); (3) benzhydrylamine (BHA) resins (e.g., 2-Chlorobenzhydryl chloride, polymer-bound, HMPB-benzhydrylamine polymer bound, 4-Methylbenzhydrol, polymer-bound, Benzhydryl chloride, polymer-bound, Benzhydrylamine polymer-bound); (4) Br-functionalized resins (e.g., 4-(Benzyloxy)benzyl bromide polymer bound, 4-Bromopolystyrene, Brominated PPOA resin, Brominated Wang resin, Bromoacetal, polymer-bound, Bromopolystyrene, HypoGel® 200 Br, Polystyrene A-Br for peptide synthesis, Selenium bromide, polymer-bound, TentaGel HL-Br, TentaGel MB-Br, TentaGel S-Br, TentaGel S-Br); (5) Chloromethyl resins (e.g., 5-[4-(Chloromethyl)phenyl]pentyl]styrene, polymer-bound, 4-(Benzyloxy)benzyl chloride polymer bound, 4-Methoxybenzhydryl chloride, polymer-bound); (6) CHO-functionalized resins (e.g., (4-Formyl-3-methoxyphenoxymethyl)polystyrene, (4-Formyl-3-methoxyphenoxymethyl)polystyrene, 3-Benzyloxybenzaldehyde, polymer-bound, 4-Benzyloxy-2,6-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, polymer-bound, Formylpolystyrene, HypoGel® 200 CHO, Indole resin, Polystyrene A-CH(OEt)2, TentaGel HL-CH(OEt)2); (7) Cl-functionalized resins (e.g., Benzoyl chloride polymer bound, (chloromethyl)polystyrene, Merrifield's resin); N(8) CO2H functionalized resins (e.g., Carboxyethylpolystryrene, HypoGel® 200 COOH, Polystyrene AM-COON, TentaGel HL-COOH, TentaGel MB-COOH, TentaGel S-COOH); (9) Hypo-Gel resins (e.g., HypoGel® 200 FMP, HypoGel® 200 PHB, HypoGel® 200 Trt-OH, HypoGel® 200 HMB); (10) 1-functionalized resins (e.g., 4-lodophenol, polymer-bound, lodopolystyrene); Janda-Jels™ (JandaJel<ä>-Rink amide, JandaJel-NH2, JandaJel-Cl, JandaJel-4-Mercaptophenol, JandaJel-OH, JandaJel-1-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodi imide, JandaJel-1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido-[1,2-a]pyrimidine, JandaJel-morpholine, JandaJel-polypyridine, JandaJel-Triphenylphosphine, JandaJel-Wang); (11) MBHA resins (3[4′-(Hydroxymethyl)phenoxy]propionic acid-4-methylbenzhydrylamine resin, 4-(Hydroxymethyl)phenoxyacetic acid polymer-bound to MBHA resin, HMBA-4-methylbenzhydrylamine polymer bound, 4-Methylbenzhydrylamine hydrochloride polymer bound Capacity (amine)); (12) NH2 functionalized resins ((Aminomethyl)polystyrene, (Aminomethyl)polystyrene, HypoGel® 200 NH2, Polystyrene AM-NH2, Polystyrene Microspheres 2-aminoethylated, Polystyrol Microspheres 2-bromoethylated, Polystyrol Microspheres 2-hydroxyethylated, TentaGel HL-NH2, Tentagel M Br, Tentagel M NH2, Tentagel M OH, TentaGel MB-NH2, TentaGel S-NH2, TentaGel S-NH2); (13) OH-functionalized resins (e.g., 4-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid, polymer-bound, Hydroxymethyl Resins, OH-functionalized Wang Resins); (14) oxime resins (e.g., 4-Chlorobenzophenone oxime polymer bound, Benzophenone oxime polymer bound, 4-Methoxybenzophenone oxime polymer bound); (15) PEG resins (e.g., ethylene glycol polymer bound); (16) Boc-/Blz peptide synthesis resins (e.g., Boc-Lys(Boc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Boc)]-Cys(Acm)-b-Ala-O-PAM resin, Boc-Lys(Fmoc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Fmoc)]-b-Ala-O-Pam resin, Boc-Lys(Boc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Boc)]-Lys{Boc-Lys(Boc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Boc)]}-b-Ala-O-PAM resin, Boc-Lys(Fmoc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Fmoc)]-Lys[Boc-Lys(Fmoc)-Lys{Boc-Lys(Fmoc)]}-b-Ala-O-PAM resin, Boc-Lys(Boc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Boc)]-Lys{Boc-Lys(Boc)-Lys[Boc-Lys(Boc)]}-Cys(Acm)-b-Ala-O-PAM resin, Preloaded PAM resins); (17) Fmoc-/t-Bu peptide synthesis resins (e.g., Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Lys[Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)]-b-Ala-O-Wang resin, Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Lys[Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)]-Lys{Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Lys[Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)]}-b-Ala-O-Wang resin, Preloaded TentaGel® S Trityl Resins, Preloaded TentaGel® Resins, Preloaded Trityl Resins, Preloaded Wang Resins, Trityl Resins Preloaded with Amino Alcohols); (19) thiol-functionalized resins (e.g., HypoGel® 200 S-Trt, Polystyrene AM-S-Trityl, TentaGel HL-S-Trityl, TentaGel MB-S-Trityl, TentaGel S-S-Trityl); and (20) Wang resins (e.g., Fmoc-Ala-Wang resin, Fmoc-Arg(Pbf)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Arg(Pmc)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Asn(Trt)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Asp(OtBu)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Cys(Acm)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Cys(StBu)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Cys(Trt) Wang resin, Fmoc-Gln(Trt)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Glu(OtBu)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Gly-Wang resin, Fmoc-His(Trt)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Ile-Wang resin, Fmoc-Leu-Wang resin, Fmoc-Lys(Boc)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Met-Wang resin, Fmoc-D-Met-Wang resin, Fmoc-Phe-Wang resin, Fmoc-Pro-Wang resin, Fmoc-Ser(tBu)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Ser(Trt)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Thr(tBu)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Trp(Boc) Wang resin, Fmoc-Trp-Wang resin, Fmoc-Tyr(tBu)-Wang resin, Fmoc-Val-Wang resin).

“Protecting group” (PG) refers to a grouping of atoms that when attached to a reactive group in a molecule masks, reduces or prevents that reactivity.

Suitable amino-protecting groups include methyl carbamate, ethyl carbamante, 9-fluorenylmethyl carbamate (Fmoc), 9-(2-sulfo)fluorenylmethyl carbamate, 9-(2,7-dibromo)fluoroenylmethyl carbamate, 2,7-di-t-butyl-[9-(10,10-dioxo-10,10,10,10-tetrahydrothioxanthyl)]methyl carbamate (DBD-Tmoc), 4-methoxyphenacyl carbamate (Phenoc), 2,2,2-trichloroethyl carbamate (Troc), 2-trimethylsilylethyl carbamate (Teoc), 2-phenylethyl carbamate (hZ), 1-(1-adamantyl)-1-methylethyl carbamate (Adpoc), 1,1-dimethyl-2-haloethyl carbamate, 1,1-dimethyl-2,2-dibromoethyl carbamate (DB-t-BOC), 1,1-dimethyl-2,2,2-trichloroethyl carbamate (TCBOC), 1-methyl-1-(4-biphenylyl)ethyl carbamate (Bpoc), 1-(3,5-di-t-butylphenyl)-1-methylethyl carbamate (t-Bumeoc), 2-(2′- and 4′-pyridyl)ethyl carbamate (Pyoc), 2-(N,N-dicyclohexylcarboxamido)ethyl carbamate, t-butyl carbamate (BOC), 1-adamantyl carbamate (Adoc), vinyl carbamate (Voc), allyl carbamate (Alloc), 1-isopropylallyl carbamate (Ipaoc), cinnamyl carbamate (Coc), 4-nitrocinnamyl carbamate (Noc), 8-quinolyl carbamate, N-hydroxypiperidinyl carbamate, alkyldithio carbamate, benzyl carbamate (Cbz), p-methoxybenzyl carbamate (Moz), p-nitobenzyl carbamate, p-bromobenzyl carbamate, p-chlorobenzyl carbamate, 2,4-dichlorobenzyl carbamate, 4-methylsulfinylbenzyl carbamate (Msz), 9-anthrylmethyl carbamate, diphenylmethyl carbamate, 2-methylthioethyl carbamate, 2-methylsulfonylethyl carbamate, 2-(p-toluenesulfonyl)ethyl carbamate, [2(1,3-dithianyl)]methyl carbamate (Dmoc), 4-methylthiophenyl carbamate (Mtpc), 2,4-dimethylthiophenyl carbamate (Bmpc), 2-phosphonioethyl carbamate (Peoc), 2-triphenylphosphonioisopropyl carbamate (Ppoc), 1,1-dimethyl-2-cyanoethyl carbamate, m-chloro-p-acyloxybenzyl carbamate, p-(dihydroxyboryl)benzyl carbamate, 5-benzisoxazolylmethyl carbamate, 24trifluoromethyl)-6-chromonylmethyl carbamate (Tcroc), m-nitrophenyl carbamate, 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl carbamate, o-nitrobenzyl carbamate, 3,4-dimethoxy-6-nitrobenzyl carbamate, phenyl(o-nitrophenyl)methyl carbamate, phenothiazinyl-(10)-carbonyl derivative, N′-p-toluenesulfonylaminocarbonyl derivative, N′-phenylaminothiocarbonyl derivative, t-amyl carbamate, S-benzyl thiocarbamate, p-cyanobenzyl carbamate, cyclobutyl carbamate, cyclohexyl carbamate, cyclopentyl carbamate, cyclopropylmethyl carbamate, p-decyloxybenzyl carbamate, 2,2-dimethoxycarbonylvinyl carbamate, o-(N,N-dimethylcarboxamido)benzyl carbamate, 1,1-dimethyl-3-(N,N-dimethylcarboxamido)propyl carbamate, 1,1-dimethylpropynyl carbamate, di(2-pyridyl)methyl carbamate, 2-furanylmethyl carbamate, 2-iodoethyl carbamate, isobornyl carbamate, isobutyl carbamate, isonicotinyl carbamate, p-(p′-methoxyphenylazo)benzyl carbamate, 1-methylcyclobutyl carbamate, 1-methylcyclohexyl carbamate, 1-methyl-1-cyclopropylmethyl carbamate, 1-methyl-1(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl carbamate, 1-methyl-1-(p-phenylazophenyl)ethyl carbamate, -methyl-1-phenylethyl carbamate, 1-methyl-1-(4-pyridyl)ethyl carbamate, phenyl carbamate, p-(phenylazo)benzyl carbamate, 2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenyl carbamate, 4-(trimethylammonium)benzyl carbamate, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzyl carbamate, formamide, acetamide, chloroacetamide, trichloroacetamide, trifluoroacetamide, phenylacetamide, 3-phenylpropanamide, picolinamide, 3-pyridylcarboxamide, N-benzoylphenylalanyl derivative, benzamide, p-phenyl benzamide, o-nitophenylacetamide, o-nitrophenoxyacetamide, acetoacetamide, (N′-dithiobenzyloxycarbonylamino)acetamide, 3-(p-hydroxyphenyl)propanamide, 3-(o-nitrophenyl)propanamide, 2-methyl-2-(o-nitrophenoxy)propanamide, 2-methyl-2-(o-phenylazophenoxy)propanamide, 4-chiorobutanamide, 3-methyl-3-nitrobutanamide, o-nitrocinnamide, N-acetylmethionine derivative, o-nitrobenzamide, o-(benzoyloxymethyl)benzamide, 4,5-diphenyl-3-oxazolin-2-one, N-phthalimide, N-dithiasuccinimide (Dts), N-2,3-diphenylmaleimide, N-2,5-dimethylpyrrole, N-1,1,4,4-tetramethyldisilylazacyclopentane adduct (STABASE), 5-substituted 1,3-dimethyl-1,3,5-triazacyclohexan-2-one, 5-substituted 1,3-dibenzyl-1,3,5-triazacyclohexan-2-one, 1-substituted 3,5-dinitro-4-pyridone, N-methylamine, N-allylamine, N-[2-trimethylsilyl)ethoxy]methylamine (SEM), N-3-acetoxypropylamine, N-(1-isopropyl-4-nitro-2-oxo-3-pyroolin-3-yl)amine, quaternary ammonium salts, N-benzylamine, N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)methylamine, N-5-dibenzosuberylamine, Ntriphenylmethylamine (Tr), N-[(4-methoxyphenyl)diphenylmethyl]amine (MMTr), N-9-phenylfluorenylamine (PhF), N-2,7-dichloro-9-fluorenylmethyleneamine, N-ferrocenylmethylamino (Fcm), N-2-picolylamino N′-oxide, N-1,1-dimethylthiomethyleneamine, N-benzylideneamine, N-p-methoxybenzylideneamine, N-diphenylmethyleneamine, N-[(2-pyridyl)mesityl]methyleneamine, N-(N′,N′-dimethylaminomethylene)amine, N,N′-isopropylidenediamine, N-p-nitrobenzylideneamine, N-salicylideneamine, N-5-chlorosalicylideneamine, N-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)phenylmethyleneamine, N-cyclohexylideneamine, N-(5,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-1-cyclohexenyl)amine, N-borane derivative, N-diphenylborinic acid derivative, N-[phenyl(pentacarbonylchromiurn- or tungsten)carbonyl]amine, N-copper chelate, N-zinc chelate, N-nitroamine, N-nitrosoamine, amine N-oxide, diphenylphosphinamide (Dpp), dimethylthiophosphinamide (Mpt), diphenylthiophosphinamide (Ppt), dialkyl phosphoramidates, dibenzyl phosphoramidate, diphenyl phosphoramidate, benzenesulfenamide, o-nitrobenzenesulfenamide (Nps), 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfenamide, pentachlorobenzenesulfenamide, 2-nitro-4-methoxybenzenesulfenamide, triphenylmethylsulfenamide, 3-nitropyridinesulfenamide (Npys), p-toluenesulfonamide (Ts), benzenesulfonamide, 2,3,6,-trimethyl-4-methoxybenzenesulfonamide (Mtr), 2,4,6-trimethoxybenzenesulfonamide (Mtb), 2,6-dimethyl-4-methoxybenzenesulfonamide (Pme), 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-4-methoxybenzenesulfonamide (Mte), 4-methoxybenzenesulfonamide (Mbs), 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonamide (Mts), 2,6-dimethoxy-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (iMds), 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchroman-6-sulfonamide (Pmc), methanesulfonamide (Ms), β-trimethylsilylethanesulfonamide (SES), 9-anthracenesulfonamide, 4-(4′,8′-dimethoxynaphthylmethyl)benzenesulfonamide (DNMBS), benzylsulfonamide, trifluoromethylsulfonamide, and phenacylsulfonamide.

Examples of suitably protected carboxylic acids further include, but are not limited to, silyl-, alkyl-, alkenyl-, aryl-, and arylalkyl-protected carboxylic acids. Examples of suitable silyl groups include trimethylsilyl, triethylsilyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl, t-butyldiphenylsilyl, triisopropylsilyl, and the like. Examples of suitable alkyl groups include methyl, benzyl, p-methoxybenzyl, 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl, trityl, t-butyl, tetrahydropyran-2-yl. Examples of suitable alkenyl groups include allyl. Examples of suitable aryl groups include optionally substituted phenyl, biphenyl, or naphthyl. Examples of suitable arylalkyl groups include optionally substituted benzyl (e.g., p-methoxybenzyl (MPM), 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl, O-nitrobenzyl, p-nitrobenzyl, p-halobenzyl, 2,6-dichlorobenzyl, p-cyanobenzyl), and 2- and 4-picolyl.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides fusion peptide comprising the peptide as defined in the first aspect of the invention or any of the embodiments provided above.

In one embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the fusion peptide comprises the peptide as defined in the first aspect of the invention, or in any of the embodiments of the first aspect of the invention, and a cell penetrating peptide.

In another embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the fusion peptide is one of sequence SEQ ID NO: 17:

In a fourth aspect the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition.

The expression “therapeutically effective amount” as used herein, refers to the amount of a compound that, when administered, is sufficient to prevent development of, or alleviate to some extent, one or more of the symptoms of the disease which is addressed. The particular dose of the peptide administered according to this invention will of course be determined by the particular circumstances surrounding the case, including the compound administered, the route of administration, the particular condition being treated, and the similar considerations.

The expression “pharmaceutically acceptable excipients or carriers” refers to pharmaceutically acceptable materials, compositions or vehicles. Each component must be pharmaceutically acceptable in the sense of being compatible with the other ingredients of the pharmaceutical composition. It must also be suitable for use in contact with the tissue or organ of humans and non-human animals without excessive toxicity, irritation, allergic response, immunogenicity or other problems or complications commensurate with a reasonable benefit/risk ratio. Examples of suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients are solvents, dispersion media, diluents, or other liquid vehicles, dispersion or suspension aids, surface active agents, isotonic agents, thickening or emulsifying agents, preservatives, solid binders, lubricants and the like. Except insofar as any conventional excipient medium is incompatible with a substance or its derivatives, such as by producing any undesirable biological effect or otherwise interacting in a deleterious manner with any other component(s) of the pharmaceutical composition, its use is contemplated to be within the scope of this invention.

The formulations of the pharmaceutical compositions described herein may be prepared by any method known or hereafter developed in the art of pharmacology. In general, such preparatory methods include the step of bringing the active ingredient into association with a excipient and/or one or more other accessory ingredients, and then, if necessary and/or desirable, shaping and/or packaging the product into a desired single- or multi-dose unit.

A pharmaceutical composition of the invention may be prepared, packaged, and/or sold in bulk, as a single unit dose, and/or as a plurality of single unit doses. As used herein, a “unit dose” is discrete amount of the pharmaceutical composition comprising a predetermined amount of the active ingredient. The amount of the active ingredient is generally equal to the dosage of the active ingredient which would be administered to a subject and/or a convenient fraction of such a dosage such as, for example, one-half or one-third of such a dosage.

The relative amounts of the active ingredient (peptide as defined in any of the previous aspects and embodiments), the pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, and/or any additional ingredients in a pharmaceutical composition of the invention will vary, depending upon the identity, size, and/or condition of the subject treated and further depending upon the route by which the composition is to be administered.

Pharmaceutically acceptable excipients used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions include, but are not limited to, inert diluents, dispersing and/or granulating agents, surface active agents and/or emulsifiers, disintegrating agents, binding agents, preservatives, buffering agents, lubricating agents, and/or oils. Such excipients may optionally be included in the inventive formulations. Excipients such as cocoa butter and suppository waxes, coloring agents, coating agents, sweetening, flavoring, and perfuming agents can be present in the composition, according to the judgment of the formulator.

Exemplary diluents include, but are not limited to, calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, calcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, sodium phosphate lactose, sucrose, cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, kaolin, mannitol, sorbitol, inositol, sodium chloride, dry starch, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and combinations thereof.

Exemplary granulating and/or dispersing agents include, but are not limited to, potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, sodium starch glycolate, clays, alginic acid, guar gum, citrus pulp, agar, bentonite, cellulose and wood products, natural sponge, cation-exchange resins, calcium carbonate, silicates, sodium carbonate, cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone) (crospovidone), sodium carboxymethyl starch (sodium starch glycolate), carboxymethyl cellulose, cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (croscarmellose), methylcellulose, pregelatinized starch (starch 1500), microcrystalline starch, water insoluble starch, calcium carboxymethyl cellulose, magnesium aluminum silicate (Veegum), sodium lauryl sulfate, quaternary ammonium compounds, and combinations thereof.

Exemplary surface active agents and/or emulsifiers include, but are not limited to, natural emulsifiers (e.g. acacia, agar, alginic acid, sodium alginate, tragacanth, chondrux, cholesterol, xanthan, pectin, gelatin, egg yolk, casein, wool fat, cholesterol, wax, and lecithin), colloidal clays (e.g. bentonite [aluminum silicate] and Veegum [magnesium aluminum silicate]), long chain amino acid derivatives, high molecular weight alcohols (e.g. stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, triacetin monostearate, ethylene glycol distearate, glyceryl monostearate, and propylene glycol monostearate, polyvinyl alcohol), carbomers (e.g., carboxy polymethylene, polyacrylic acid, acrylic acid polymer, and carboxyvinyl polymer), carrageenan, cellulosic derivatives (e.g., carboxymethylcellulose sodium, powdered cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose), sorbitan fatty acid esters {e.g., polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate [Tween 20], polyoxyethylene sorbitan [Tween 60], polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate [Tween 80], sorbitan monopalmitate [Span 40], sorbitan monostearate [Span 60], sorbitan tristearate [Span 65], glyceryl monooleate, sorbitan monooleate [Span 80]), polyoxyethylene esters (e.g., polyoxyethylene monostearate [Myrj 45], polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, polyethoxylated castor oil, polyoxymethylene stearate, and Solutol), sucrose fatty acid esters, polyethylene glycol fatty acid esters (e.g., Cremophor), polyoxyethylene ethers, (e.g., polyoxyethylene lauryl ether [Brij 30]), poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone), diethylene glycol monolaurate, triethanolamine oleate, sodium oleate, potassium oleate, ethyl oleate, oleic acid, ethyl laurate, sodium lauryl sulfate, Pluronic F 68, Poloxamer 188, cetrimonium bromide, cetylpyridinium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, docusate sodium, etc. and/or combinations thereof.

Exemplary binding agents include, but are not limited to, starch (e.g., cornstarch and starch paste); gelatin; sugars (e.g., sucrose, glucose, dextrose, dextrin, molasses, lactose, lactitol, mannitol); natural and synthetic gums (e.g., acacia, sodium alginate, extract of Irish moss, panwar gum, ghatti gum, mucilage of isapol husks, carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose acetate, polyvinylpyrrolidone), magnesium aluminum silicate (Veegum), and larch arabogalactan); alginates; polyethylene oxide; polyethylene glycol; inorganic calcium salts; silicic acid; polymethacrylates; waxes; water; alcohol; and combinations thereof.

Exemplary preservatives may include antioxidants, chelating agents, antimicrobial preservatives, antifungal preservatives, alcohol preservatives, acidic preservatives, and other preservatives. Exemplary antioxidants include, but are not limited to, alpha tocopherol, ascorbic acid, acorbyl palmitate, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, monothioglycerol, potassium metabisulfite, propionic acid, propyl gallate, sodium ascorbate, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite. Exemplary chelating agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), citric acid monohydrate, disodium edetate, dipotassium edetate, edetic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, sodium edetate, tartaric acid, and trisodium edetate. Exemplary antimicrobial preservatives include, but are not limited to, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, benzyl alcohol, bronopol, cetrimide, cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorhexidine, chlorobutanol, chlorocresol, chloroxylenol, cresol, ethyl alcohol, glycerin, hexetidine, imidurea, phenol, phenoxyethanol, phenylethyl alcohol, phenylmercuric nitrate, propylene glycol, and thimerosal. Exemplary antifungal preservatives include, but are not limited to, butyl paraben, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, benzoic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium propionate, and sorbic acid. Exemplary alcohol preservatives include, but are not limited to, ethanol, polyethylene glycol, phenol, phenolic compounds, bisphenol, chlorobutanol, hydroxybenzoate, and phenylethyl alcohol. Exemplary acidic preservatives include, but are not limited to, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, citric acid, acetic acid, dehydroacetic acid, ascorbic acid, sorbic acid, and phytic acid. Other preservatives include, but are not limited to, tocopherol, tocopherol acetate, deteroxime mesylate, cetrimide, butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluened (BHT), ethylenediamine, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium sulfite, potassium metabisulfite, Glydant Plus, Phenonip, methylparaben, Germall 115, Germaben II, Neolone, Kathon, and Euxyl. In certain embodiments, the preservative is an anti-oxidant. In other embodiments, the preservative is a chelating agent.

Exemplary buffering agents include, but are not limited to, citrate buffer solutions, acetate buffer solutions, phosphate buffer solutions, ammonium chloride, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium citrate, calcium glubionate, calcium gluceptate, calcium gluconate, D-gluconic acid, calcium glycerophosphate, calcium lactate, propanoic acid, calcium levulinate, pentanoic acid, dibasic calcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, tribasic calcium phosphate, calcium hydroxide phosphate, potassium acetate, potassium chloride, potassium gluconate, potassium mixtures, dibasic potassium phosphate, monobasic potassium phosphate, potassium phosphate mixtures, sodium acetate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sodium lactate, dibasic sodium phosphate, monobasic sodium phosphate, sodium phosphate mixtures, tromethamine, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, alginic acid, pyrogen-free water, isotonic saline, Ringer's solution, ethyl alcohol, and combinations thereof.

Exemplary lubricating agents include, but are not limited to, magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, stearic acid, silica, talc, malt, glyceryl behanate, hydrogenated vegetable oils, polyethylene glycol, sodium benzoate, sodium acetate, sodium chloride, leucine, magnesium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and combinations thereof.

Exemplary oils include, but are not limited to, almond, apricot kernel, avocado, babassu, bergamot, black current seed, borage, cade, camomile, canola, caraway, carnauba, castor, cinnamon, cocoa butter, coconut, cod liver, coffee, corn, cotton seed, emu, eucalyptus, evening primrose, fish, flaxseed, geraniol, gourd, grape seed, hazel nut, hyssop, isopropyl myristate, jojoba, kukui nut, lavandin, lavender, lemon, litsea cubeba, macademia nut, mallow, mango seed, meadowfoam seed, mink, nutmeg, olive, orange, orange roughy, palm, palm kernel, peach kernel, peanut, poppy seed, pumpkin seed, rapeseed, rice bran, rosemary, safflower, sandalwood, sasquana, savoury, sea buckthorn, sesame, shea butter, silicone, soybean, sunflower, tea tree, thistle, tsubaki, vetiver, walnut, and wheat germ oils. Exemplary oils include, but are not limited to, butyl stearate, caprylic triglyceride, capric triglyceride, cyclomethicone, diethyl sebacate, dimethicone 360, isopropyl myristate, mineral oil, octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, silicone oil, and combinations thereof.

Liquid dosage forms for oral and parenteral administration include, but are not limited to, pharmaceutically acceptable liposomes emulsions, microemulsions, solutions, suspensions, syrups and elixirs. In addition to the active ingredients, the liquid dosage forms may comprise inert diluents commonly used in the art such as, for example, water or other solvents, solubilizing agents and emulsifiers such as ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl carbonate, ethyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, propylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, dimethylformamide, oils (in particular, cottonseed, groundnut, corn, germ, olive, castor, and sesame oils), glycerol, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, polyethylene glycols and fatty acid esters of sorbitan, and mixtures thereof. Besides inert diluents, the oral compositions can include adjuvants such as wetting agents, emulsifying and suspending agents, sweetening, flavoring, and perfuming agents. In certain embodiments for parenteral administration, the conjugates of the invention are mixed with solubilizing agents such as polyethoxylated castor oil (e.g. CREMOPHOR™), alcohols, oils, modified oils, glycols, polysorbates, cyclodextrins, polymers, and combinations thereof.

Injectable preparations, for example, sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspensions may be formulated according to the known art using suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents. The sterile injectable preparation may be a sterile injectable solution, suspension or emulsion in a nontoxic parenterally acceptable diluent or solvent, for example, as a solution in 1,3-butanediol. Among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water, Ringer's solution, U.S.P. and isotonic sodium chloride solution. In addition, sterile, fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium. For this purpose any bland fixed oil can be employed including synthetic mono- or diglycerides. In addition, fatty acids such as oleic acid are used in the preparation of injectables. Alternatively, the preparation can be in the form of liposomes.

The injectable formulations can be sterilized, for example, by filtration through a bacterial-retaining filter, or by incorporating sterilizing agents in the form of sterile solid compositions which can be dissolved or dispersed in sterile water or other sterile injectable medium prior to use.

In order to prolong the effect of a drug, it is often desirable to slow the absorption of the drug from subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. This may be accomplished by the use of a liquid suspension of crystalline or amorphous material with poor water solubility. The rate of absorption of the drug then depends upon its rate of dissolution which, in turn, may depend upon crystal size and crystalline form. Alternatively, delayed absorption of a parenterally administered drug form is accomplished by dissolving or suspending the drug in an oil vehicle.

Solid dosage forms for oral administration include capsules, tablets, pills, powders, and granules. In such solid dosage forms, the active ingredient is mixed with at least one inert, pharmaceutically acceptable excipient such as sodium citrate or dicalcium phosphate and/or a) fillers or extenders such as starches, lactose, sucrose, glucose, mannitol, and silicic acid, b) binders such as, for example, carboxymethylcellulose, alginates, gelatin, polyvinylpyrrolidinone, sucrose, and acacia, c) humectants such as glycerol, d) disintegrating agents such as agar, calcium carbonate, potato or tapioca starch, alginic acid, certain silicates, and sodium carbonate, e) solution retarding agents such as paraffin, f) absorption accelerators such as quaternary ammonium compounds, g) wetting agents such as, for example, cetyl alcohol and glycerol monostearate, h) absorbents such as kaolin and bentonite clay, and i) lubricants such as talc, calcium stearate, magnesium stearate, solid polyethylene glycols, sodium lauryl sulfate, and mixtures thereof. In the case of capsules, tablets and pills, the dosage form may comprise buffering agents.

Solid compositions of a similar type may be employed as fillers in soft and hard-filled gelatin capsules using such excipients as lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polyethylene glycols and the like. The solid dosage forms of tablets, dragees, capsules, pills, and granules can be prepared with coatings and shells such as enteric coatings and other coatings well known in the pharmaceutical formulating art. They may optionally comprise opacifying agents and can be of a composition that they release the active ingredient(s) only, or preferentially, in a certain part of the intestinal tract, optionally, in a delayed manner. Examples of embedding compositions which can be used include polymeric substances and waxes. Solid compositions of a similar type may be employed as fillers in soft and hard-filled gelatin capsules using such excipients as lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polethylene glycols and the like.

The peptides of the invention can be in micro-encapsulated form with one or more excipients as noted above. In one embodiment, the peptides of the invention are formulated in liposomes. The solid dosage forms of tablets, dragees, capsules, pills, and granules can be prepared with coatings and shells such as enteric coatings, release controlling coatings and other coatings well known in the pharmaceutical formulating art. In such solid dosage forms the active ingredient may be admixed with at least one inert diluent such as sucrose, lactose or starch. Such dosage forms may comprise, as is normal practice, additional substances other than inert diluents, e.g., tableting lubricants and other tableting aids such a magnesium stearate and microcrystalline cellulose. In the case of capsules, tablets and pills, the dosage forms may comprise buffering agents. They may optionally comprise opacifying agents and can be of a composition that they release the active ingredient(s) only, or preferentially, in a certain part of the intestinal tract, optionally, in a delayed manner. Examples of embedding compositions which can be used include polymeric substances and waxes.

It will be appreciated that peptides and pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be employed in combination therapies. The particular combination of therapies (therapeutics or procedures) to employ in a combination regimen will take into account compatibility of the desired therapeutics and/or procedures and the desired therapeutic effect to be achieved. It will be appreciated that the therapies employed may achieve a desired effect for the same purpose (for example, an inventive conjugate useful for detecting tumors may be administered concurrently with another agent useful for detecting tumors), or they may achieve different effects (e.g., control of any adverse effects).

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may be administered either alone or in combination with one or more other therapeutic agents. By “in combination with,” it is not intended to imply that the agents must be administered at the same time and/or formulated for delivery together, although these methods of delivery are within the scope of the invention. The compositions can be administered concurrently with, prior to, or subsequent to, one or more other desired therapeutics or medical procedures. In general, each agent will be administered at a dose and/or on a time schedule determined for that agent. Additionally, the invention encompasses the delivery of the peptide or pharmaceutical compositions in combination with agents that may improve their bioavailability, reduce and/or modify their metabolism, inhibit their excretion, and/or modify their distribution within the body.

The particular combination of therapies to employ in a combination regimen will take into account compatibility of the desired therapeutics and/or procedures and/or the desired therapeutic effect to be achieved. It will be appreciated that the therapies employed may achieve a desired effect for the same disorder (for example, an inventive polypeptide may be administered concurrently with another biologically active agent used to treat the same disorder), and/or they may achieve different effects (e.g., control of any adverse effects). In will further be appreciated that biologically active agents utilized in this combination may be administered together in a single composition or administered separately in different compositions.

The expression “in combination with” also encompasses the possibility of conjugating (by chemical-physical interactions) the peptide of the invention to any of the further agents mentioned above and below, which can be either a therapeutic agent or an agent for improving the profile of the peptide (such as bioavailability), among others.

In one embodiment, the peptides of the invention are administered in combination with one or more anti-cancer agents. An anti-cancer agent may be, for instance, methotrexate, vincristine, adriamycin, cisplatin, non-sugar containing chloroethylnitrosoureas, 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C, bleomycin, doxorubicin, dacarbazine, taxol, fragyline, Meglamine GLA, valrubicin, carmustaine and poliferposan, MMI270, BAY 12-9566, RAS farnesyl transferase inhibitor, farnesyl transferase inhibitor, MMP, MTA/LY231514, LY264618/Lometexol, Glamolec, Cl-994, TNP-470, Hycamtin/Topotecan, PKC412, Valspodar/PSC833, Novantrone/Mitroxantrone, Metaret/Suramin, Batimastat, E7070, BCH-4556, CS-682, 9-AC, AG3340, AG3433, Incel/VX-710, VX-853, ZD0101, IS1641, ODN 698, TA 2516/Marmistat, BB2516/Marmistat, CDP 845, D2163, PD183805, DX895 if, Lemonal DP 2202, FK 317, Picibanil/OK-432, AD 32/Valrubicin, Metastron/strontium derivative, Temodal/Temozolomide, Evacet/liposomal doxorubicin, Yewtaxan/Paclitaxel, Taxol/Paclitaxel, Xeload/Capecitabine, Furtulon/Doxifluridine, Cyclopax/oral paclitaxel, Oral Taxoid, SPU-077/Cisplatin, HMR 1275/Flavopiridol, CP-358 (774)/EGFR, CP-609 (754)/RAS oncogene inhibitor, BMS-182751/oral platinum, UFT (Tegafur/Uracil), Ergamisol/Levamisole, Eniluracil/776C85/5FU enhancer, Campto/Levamisole, Camptosar/Irinotecan, Tumodex/Ralitrexed, Leustatin/Cladribine, Paxex/Paclitaxel, Doxil/liposomal doxorubicin, Caelyx/liposomal doxorubicin, Fludara/Fludarabine, Pharmarubicin/Epirubicin, DepoCyt, ZD1839, LU 79553/Bis-Naphtalimide, LU 103793/Dolastain, Caetyx/liposomal doxorubicin, Gemzar/Gemcitabine, ZD 0473/Anormed, YM 116, iodine seeds, CDK4 and CDK2 inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, D4809/Dexifosamide, Ifes/Mesnex/Ifosamide, Vumon/Teniposide, Paraplatin/Carboplatin, Plantinol/cisplatin, Vepeside/Etoposide, ZD 9331, Taxotere/Docetaxel, prodrug of guanine arabinoside, Taxane Analog, nitrosoureas, alkylating agents such as melphelan and cyclophosphamide, Aminoglutethimide, Asparaginase, Busulfan, Carboplatin, Chlorombucil, Cytarabine HCl, Dactinomycin, Daunorubicin HCl, Estramustine phosphate sodium, Etoposide (VP16-213), Floxuridine, Fluorouracil (5-FU), Flutamide, Hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide), Ifosfamide, Interferon Alfa-2a, Alfa-2b, Leuprolide acetate (LHRH-releasing factor analogue), Lomustine (CCNU), Mechlorethamine HCl (nitrogen mustard), Mercaptopurine, Mesna, Mitotane (o.p-DDD), Mitoxantrone HCl, Octreotide, Plicamycin, Procarbazine HCl, Streptozocin, Tamoxifen citrate, Thioguanine, Thiotepa, Vinblastine sulfate, Amsacrine (m-AMSA), Azacitidine, Erthropoietin, Hexamethylmelamine (HMM), Interleukin 2, Mitoguazone (methyl-GAG; methyl glyoxal bis-guanylhydrazone; MGBG), Pentostatin (2′-deoxycoformycin), Semustine (methyl-CCNU), Teniposide (VM-26) or Vindesine sulfate, signal transduction inhibitors (such as MEK, BRAF, AKT, her2, mTOR, and PI3K inhibitors), but it is not so limited.

As it is illustrated below, the peptides of the invention are useful in the treatment of a cancer selected from the group consisting of: leukemia, breast cancer, glioblastoma, and lung cancer.

Throughout the description and claims the word “comprise” and variations of the word, are not intended to exclude other technical features, additives, components, or steps. Furthermore, the word “comprise” encompasses the case of “consisting of”. Additional objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The following examples are provided by way of illustration, and they are not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention covers all possible combinations of particular and preferred embodiments described herein.

EXAMPLES Synthetic General Procedure Compounds LH1 and LH2

Materials were purchased as following: Fmoc-protected α-amino acids; Rinkamide MBHA Resin (Tianjin Nankai HECHENG S&T Co., Ltd); HBTU ((2-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate), GL Biochem); N-methyl morpholine (Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.); Succinic anhydride (Aladdin); acetonitrile (Xingke Chemical); ninhydrin (Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.); Piperidine (Vertellus); Dimethylformamide, DMF (Zhejiang jiangshan chemical co., Ltd); trifluoroacetic acid, TFA (Trifluoroacetic acid, Solvay), TIS (Thioanisole, Solvay)

Briefly, the linear polypeptides were synthesized manually using Fmoc based SPPS (solid phase peptides synthesis) on Rink amide MBHA resin as support.

The following protocol was used:

-   -   1. The Fmoc protective group was removed with 20% piperidine in         DMF.     -   2. The resin was washed with DMF five times.     -   3. The subsequent Fmoc-protected amino acid was coupled for 45         min using Fmoc-AA (3 equiv.), HBTU (3 equiv.), and N-methyl         morpholine (6 equiv.).     -   4. The resin was washed with DMF five times. Coupling was         checked by ninhydrin test.     -   5. Repeat from step 1.     -   6. N-terminal was capped by reacting with succinic anhydride (10         equiv.) and N-methyl morpholine (10 equiv.).

The peptide was cleaved from the resin and deprotected by exposure to solution F (95% TFA, 2,5% water, 2.5% TIS) and lyophilized.

The lyophilized peptides were purified by reverse phase HPLC using a C18 column (see compounds characterization for details). The peptides were identified by LC-MS-ESI. All the mass spectral data for all the compounds are shown below in Table 1.

Compounds H02, H04, H14, H14-A09, H14-Al2, H14-F12, H14-F14, H14-h2-01, H14-006, H14-Q09, H14-Q13, H14-Q15, H14-S15, H14-CPP1 and H14-PEG4.

Materials were purchased as following: Fmoc-protected a-amino acids, the Fmoc-protected olefinic amino acids: Fmoc-[(S)-2-(4 pentenyl)alanine]OH, Fmoc-[(R)-2-(4 pentenyl)alanine]OH, Fmoc-[(S)-2-(7 octenyl)alanine]OH, Fmoc-[(R)-2-(4 pentenyl)alanine]OH, FMoc-PEG4-COOH and Boc-PEG4-COOH, 2-(6-chloro-1-H-benzotriazole-1-yl)-1,1, 3,3-tetramethylaminium hexafluorophosphate (TBTU), resins, dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-diisopropylethylamine (DIEA), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), Grubbs Ru(IV) catalyst and piperidine were purchased from different suppliers.

Briefly, the linear polypeptides were synthesized with automatic synthesizer using Fmoc solid phase peptide chemistry. The N terminal FMoc-PEG4 or Boc-PEG4 were added to the sequence as a regular aminoacids. Only the coupling with olefinic amino acids was performed manually after removing the resins from the reactor vessel, as disclosed in the previous section.

The ring-closing metathesis reaction was performed in solution with a first generation Grubbs catalyst after cleaving the linear peptide from the resin, as disclosed by Scott J. M. and colleagues (Scott J. M. et al., “Application of Ring-Closing Metathesis to the Synthesis of Rigidified Amino Acids and Peptides”,1996, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1996, 118 (40), pp 9606-9614).

The deprotected peptide precipitated with methyl-tert-butyl ether at 4° C. and lyophilized.

The lyophilized peptides were purified by reverse phase HPLC using a C18 column (see compounds characterization for details). The peptides were identified by LC-MS-ESI. All the mass spectral data for all the compounds are shown below in Table 1.

HPLC conditions:

LH01. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 29%-39% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=9.97). Purity grade 95.70% by HPLC;

LH02. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 27%-37% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=10.92). Purity grade 98.17% by HPLC;

H02. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 5%-60% of B in 11 minutes (R. T.=6.72). Purity grade 96.98% by HPLC;

H04. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 5%-60% of B in 15 minutes (R. T.=7.47). Purity grade 90.90% by HPLC;

H14. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 10%-100% of B in 8 minutes (R. T.=5.97). Purity grade 95.00% by HPLC.

H14-A09: The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 52%-62% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=7.26-9.15). Purity grade 95.07% by HPLC;

H14-A12. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 60%-70% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=8.80). Purity grade 91.04% by HPLC;

H14-F12. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 58%-78% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=12.33). Purity grade 96.84% by HPLC;

H14-F14. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0,1% TFA) using a linear gradient 62%-72% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=13.82-15.43). Purity grade 98.43% by HPLC;

H14-h2-01. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 56%-76% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=9.49 y 11.69). Purity grade 96.40% by HPLC;

H14-Q6. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 42%-62% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=14.75). Purity grade 90.00% by HPLC;

H14-Q09. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (0-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 60%-80% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=6.77-7.99). Purity grade 95.35% by HPLC;

H14-Q13. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (0-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1%TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 48%-68% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=7.2-9.14). Purity grade 95.00% by HPLC;

H14-Q15. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (0-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 58%-78% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=9.86). Purity grade 95.00% by HPLC; and

H14-S15. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 65%-85% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=6.89). Purity grade 95.97% by HPLC.

H14-CPP1. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 48%-68% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=12.35). Purity grade 95.04% by HPLC;

H14-PEG4. The compound was purified by HPLC-RP (C-18 column; Pump A: H₂O with 0.1% TFA; Pump B Acetonitrile with 0.1% TFA) using a linear gradient 58%-78% of B in 20 minutes (R. T.=9.44-10.91). Purity grade 93.07% by HPLC;

The X biradical means:

and the L biradical means —(CH₂)₃—CH═CH—(CH₂)₃— (for peptide H02) or —(CH₂)₆—CH═CH—(CH₂)₃— (for peptides H04, H14, H14-Al2, H14-F12, H14-F14, H14-h2-01, H14-006, H14-Q09, H14-Q13, H14-Q15, and H14-S15). Cell lines:

H5B, epithelial small cell lung cancer extracted from SCLC tumor of GEMM (p53-/- y Rb-/-) mice (provided by Stanford University);

HL-60, promyeloblast (acute myelocytic leukemia, AML), ECACC: 98070106;

MCF-7, epithelial (breast cancer), ECACC: 86012803;

GMB-18, epithelial (glioblastoma, GMB), from surgical specimens from patients;

GMB-27, epithelial (glioblastoma, GMB), from surgical specimens from patients;

NCl-H524, lung (small cell lung cancer, SCLC), ATCC-CRL-5831;

NCl-H526, epithelial (small cell lung cancer, SCLC), ATCC-CRL-5811;

NCl-69, (small cell lung cancer, SCLC), ATCC-HTB-119;

NCl-H82, epithelial (small cell lung cancer, SCLC), ATCC-CRL-5811;

NCl-H187, epithelial (small cell lung cancer, SCLC), ATCC-CRL-5804;

NCl-510A, epithelial (small cell lung cancer, SCLC), ATCC-HBT-124; and Hepatocytes (normal liver), from a woman donor was provided by Foundation DTI-Donation & Transplantation Institute from surgical wastes and from organs not suitable for transplantation

Cell Culture

Cell line MCF-7 was cultured in incubator under CO2 (6%) at 37° C. in DMEM high glucose (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Solution, Gibco-BRL 31966-21) medium with 10% fetal bovine serum inactivated (FBS) (Gibco-BRL 10106-169). Cell lines HL-60, NCl-H524, NCl-H526, NCl-H69, NCl-H82, NCl-H187 and H5B were cultured in an incubator at 37° C. in RPMI-1640 (Sigma R8758) medium with 10% of fetal bovine serum inactivated (FBS) and 2 mM glutamine (Sigma G7513). Cell line NCl-H510A was cultured in incubator in F12K medium with with 10% of fetal bovine serum inactivated (FBS). Cell line GBM-18 and GBM-27 were cultured in incubator under CO₂ (6%) at 37° C. in complete medium (Neurobasal+B27+Glutamax+Growth factors).

During the amplification step and the assays, adherent cells were rinsed with DPBS (Dulbecco's Phosphate Buffered Saline, Sigma D1283) three times and afterward treated for 5 minutes with trypsin ([0.5 g/ml]/EDTA [0.2 g/ml]) (Gibco-BRL, 15400054) in solution of DPBS at 37° C., and, once detached, transferred in the culturing medium. No-adherent cells were centrifuged and transferred in the culturing medium. Cells were counted in a Neubauer chamber after labelling with Tripan-Blue. Each assay was performed only when the viability was superior to 90%.

Human liver from a woman donor was subjected to hepatocyte isolation by using a two-step tissue microperfusion technique taking maximum care to avoid anoxia before cannulation, since hepatocytes are cells highly sensitive to oxygen levels. An initial anoxic state could result in a low viability of the cells, and will later affect their metabolic capacity in the culture. Briefly, liver tissue was cannulated by using the accessible vessels with a 1 mm-diameter needle. A balanced salt solution was injected to clean the organ by using a peristaltic pump adjusted to a flow rate of 18-20 ml/min. After washing, a solution containing collagenase was added for liver disintegration. The cell suspension obtained using this process was filtered and centrifuged and, after a couple of washings to remove collagenase, cells were re-suspended in culture medium Ham's F-12/William (1:1) medium supplemented with 2 mM glutamine, 170 μg/ml sodium selenite, 2% newborn calf serum, 50 mU/ml penicillin, 50 μg/ml streptomycin, 0.1% bovine serum albumin, 1.68 mM NAME, 26 mM sodium bicarbonate, 25 μg/ml transferrin, 65.5 μM ethanolamine, 7.2 μM linoleic acid, 17.5 mM glucose, 6.14 mM ascorbic acid and 10 nM insulin.

After resuspension, a cell aliquot was removed and viability was determined by cell counting using the trypan blue exclusion method. Trypan blue uptake is the result of cell membrane alteration and in consequence of cell death. Thus, to quantify cell viability, 0.4% trypan blue in saline was added to the cells and these were immediately loaded in a Neubauer chamber. Viable cells were counted in 5 different fields under the optical microscope as non-blue cells.

% Viability=Number of non-blue cells×100/Number of total cells

Viability and Hepatoxicity Assay

MCF-7, NCl-H187, NCl-H69, NCl-H526 and H5B cells were seeded at a density of 5000 cells/well; NCl-H524 and NCl-H82 were seeded at a density of 2500 cells/well; HL-60 and NCl-H510A at 10000 cells/well in 100 μl of medium in 96 well plates. After 24 h, the compounds to be tested were added to calculate the dose/response curve at the starting concentration of 100 μM with serial dilutions (1:1). Controls were the untreated cells. Each experiment was performed in triplicate.

Cells were incubated during 72 h in incubator under CO₂ atmosphere at 37° C. Cell viability was measured by means of MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, Alamar Blue® (Biosource DAL1100) and Hexosaminidase activity test, consecutively, following manufacturer instructions.

Assay proceeding follows:

MTT: 1. Stock solution of MTT (475989 Calbiochem) was 5 mg/ml in PBS 1×. As negative control (experiment noise) 3 wells were treated with 20 μl/well of a solution of SDS 10% in H₂O. The same control was used for Alamar Blue/Hexosaminidase. 10 μl/well of MTT solution were added and the plate was incubated for 3-4 hr. The medium was discarded and 100 μl of extracting buffer (PBS 1×, 15% SDS, 50% Na N,N-Dimethylformamide, pH 4.7) were added to each well. Plates were incubated for 16 h at room temperature under orbital shaking. Absorbance at 570 nm was finally measured.

Alamar Blue: 10 μl Alamar Blue solution was added to each well and the plates were incubated for 4 in the incubator. Fluorescence ratio at 535/590 (excitation/emission) was measured in Cytofluor (Millipore) fluorimeter. Blank control was determined by lysis of untreated cells with con 2% of Triton X100, right before adding Alamar Blue solution.

Hexosaminidase activity test: after Alamar Blue lecture, medium was discarded and plates were rinsed once with PBS. 60 μl hexosaminidase substrate (p-nitrophenol-N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosamide 7.5 mM [Sigma N-9376], sodium citrate 0.1 M, pH 5.0, 0.25% Triton X-100) was added to each well and the plates were incubated at 37° C. for 2-5 h, according to the cell type (hexosaminidase activity changes according to the cell type). After incubation time, 90 μl of revealing solution (Glycine 50 mM, pH 10.4; EDTA 5 mM) were added to each well, and absorbance at 410 nM was measured.

Blank control was the same as described before.

Human hepatocytes isolated and re-suspended as described before were seeded at 100,000 viable cells/well on 96 collagen-coated plates in order to assess compound's cytotoxicity. After 1 hour in culture, medium was renewed to eliminate cell debris. Cultured human hepatocytes were allowed to stay in culture for 24 hours prior performing the experiments. After 24 h, the compounds to be tested were added to calculate the dose/response curve at the starting concentration of 400 μM with serial dilutions. Each experiment was performed in triplicate.Cells were incubated during 24 h in incubator under CO₂ atmosphere at 37° C.

The viability was determined by cell counting using the trypan blue exclusion method.

% Viability=Number of non-blue cells×100/Number of total cells

Statistics

Data analysis was performed calculating the percentage of cell viability normalized vs. the values of negative control, which was considered equal to 100%. The dose/response curve was fitted through the sigmoidal equation dose-response (variable slope) and the EC₅₀ values were calculated as follow:

Y=Bottom+(Top-Bottom)/(1+10{circumflex over ( )}{[(LogEC50-X)*HillSlope]}.

where: X is compound concentration (log scale) and Y is the response Calculations and graphs were conducted using GraphPad Prism (Prism 6 for Windows).

Mechanism of Action—Western Blot Activated Caspase 3, Parp and c-Parp

Cells were incubated during 6 h and 12 h in incubator under CO₂ atmosphere at 37° C. with a range of concentration of H14 (1 μM and 10 μM).

Samples containing equal amounts of proteins extracted from lysates of cultured cell lines NCl-H187 and NCl-H510A (5-50 ug depending on the specification of the corresponding primary antibody, Santa Cruz Biotechnologies, Santa Cruz, Calif.) underwent electrophoresis on SDS-PAGE and were transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. The membranes were blocked in 3% BSA-PBS-0.1% Tween at room temperature for 1 h and blots were probed over night at 4° C. with primary antibodies (Santa Cruz Biotechnologies, Santa Cruz, Calif.) to detect proteins of interests. After incubation, the membranes were washed three times with wreashing buffer (PBS containing 0.1% Tween) for 5 min. Membranes were then incubated for 1 h with 1:10,000 diluted secondary antibodies (Santa Cruz Biotechnologies, Santa Cruz, Calif.) at room temperature. Specific proteins were detected using G-Box (Syngene, Cambridge, UK) after washing.

Stability Test Chemicals

-   -   Water, Purelab Ultra Ionic (Elga Berkefeld GmbH, Celle, Germany)     -   Methanol, for HPLC, 99.9% (Sigma Aldrich GmbH, Buchs,         Switzerland)     -   Acetonitrile, for HPLC, 99.9% (Sigma Aldrich GmbH, Buchs,         Switzerland)     -   2 Propanol, for HPLC, 99.9% (Sigma Aldrich GmbH, Buchs,         Switzerland)     -   Ethanol, for HPLC, 99.8% (Sigma Aldrich GmbH, Buchs,         Switzerland)     -   Formic acid, puriss. p.a., 98% (Sigma Aldrich GmbH, Buchs,         Switzerland)

Blank Matrix

-   -   Human plasma with K3 EDTA as anticoagulant (Blutspendezentrum         SRK beider Basel, Basel, Switzerland)

Apparatus

-   -   Centrifuge, Allegra 64R (Beckman Coulter International SA, Nyon,         Switzerland)     -   Centrifuge, Biofuge Stratos (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Osterode,         Germany)     -   Freezer, Liebherr Comfort (Liebherr, Biberach an der Riss,         Germany)     -   Deep freezer, MDF U53V (SANYO Electric Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan)     -   Ultrasonic bath, SW 6 H (Sonoswiss AG, Ramsen, Switzerland)     -   Pipette, Reference, Research (Eppendorf AG, Hamburg, Germany)     -   Vortexer, Genius 3 (IKA Labortechnik, Staufen, Germany)     -   Vortexer, Genie 2 (Scientific Industries Inc., New York, USA)     -   Micro balance, MT 5 (Mettler Toledo GmbH, Giessen, Germany)     -   Precision balance, PB503 S/FACT (Mettler Toledo GmbH, Giessen,         Germany)     -   Thermomixer comfort (Eppendorf AG, Hamburg, Germany)

Instrumentation

-   -   HPLC pump, 1200 series pump (Agilent Technologies Inc, Santa         Clara, Calif., USA)     -   Autosampler, HTC xt PAL (CTC Analytics AG, Zwingen, Switzerland)     -   Mass spectrometer, TSQ Vantage (Thermo Fisher Scientific, San         Jose, Calif., USA)

Analytical Method

a. Preparation of calibration samples and quality control samples

For the preparation of stock solutions, H14 was dissolved in water/acetonitrile (95/5, v/v) containing 0.1% formic acid to a concentration of 1.00 mg/mL. Further serial dilutions were carried out in plasma. The concentrations were calculated under consideration of purity.

For preparation of plasma samples, the human blank plasma were fortified with the stock solution using a ratio of 1:100 to obtain a sample with 10.0 μg/mL which was subsequently serial-diluted in human blank plasma.

The concentrations of the samples in plasma were the following:

TABLE 2 Human Sample 1 Human Sample 2 Analyte [ng/mL] [ng/mL] H14 100 1000

b. Preparation of the internal standard solution

For the preparation of internal standard stock solution, the internal standard was dissolved in water/acetonitrile (95/5, v/v) containing 0.1% formic acid to a concentration of 1.00 mg/mL. Final working dilutions was prepared to a concentration of 1000 ng/mL in acetonitrile containing 1% formic acid for the analysis of plasma samples.

c. Sample preparation

A volume of 300 μL of human plasma samples for the two peptide concentrations (100 ng/mL and 1000 ng/mL) were transferred to an empty 96 deep well plate. The plate was incubated at 37° C. in a thermomixer at approximately 700 rpm. At selected incubation time points of 0 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h and 24 h, aliquots of plasma were precipitated with acetonitrile containing internal standard. To an aliquot of 20 μL human plasma samples, 40 μL of acetonitrile containing 1% formic acid and the internal standard was added. After vortex mixing for a few seconds, the samples were centrifuged for about 10 minutes at approximately 50000 g. The temperature of the centrifuge was set to 8° C. An aliquot of 30 μL of the supernatant was transferred to an autosampler vial for analysis using LC MS/MS.

c. HPLC MS/MS conditions

The quantification of H14 was performed by column separation with reverse phase chromatography followed by detection with triple stage quadrupole MS/MS in the selected reaction monitoring mode. For HPLC the condition were the following:

Injection volume 3 μL (5 μL into a loop of 3 μL)

Mobile phase:

Phase A water containing 0.5% formic acid Phase B 2 propanol containing 0.5% formic acid

Column:

-   -   Hypersil Gold, 2.1×50 mm, 3 μm (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.,         Waltham, Mass., USA)

Column temperature: room temperature

Gradient:

TABLE 3 Time Flow Phase A Phase B [min] [mL/min] [%] [%] 0.00 0.400 98.0 2.00 0.10 0.400 98.0 2.00 2.40 0.400 5.00 95.0 4.00 0.400 5.00 95.0 4.10 0.400 98.0 2.00 5.00 0.400 98.0 2.00

Mass spectrometry Ion source HESI Polarity Positive Voltage [V] 3500 Sweep gas [au] 0.0 Sheath gas [au] 60.0 Auxiliary gas [au] 5.0 Vaporizer [° C.] 300 Collision gas pressure [mTorr] 1.5

Selected reaction monitoring:

TABLE 4 parent ion product ion width Scan time collision analyte mass [mu] mass [mu] [mu] [s] energy [V] H14 683.200 602.600 0.100 0.050 18

In Vivo Studies -Animals:

Foxn1nu immunosuppressed mice of 6-7 weeks old housed and handled in a pathogen-free zone (CIMA University of Navarra). All experiments were carried out within the facilities of the University of Navarra.

-Groups studied:

-   -   Control: Medium (PBS) i.p. each 24 hours each day.     -   IDP-H14 20 mg/kg i.p. each 24 hours from each day.         -Methods and follow-up of the study:

Subcutaneous xenograft model: The mice were shaved on the right and left flanks and anesthetized by inhalation to decrease their mobility, were inoculated subcutaneously with H510A cells in 50 μl of RPMI-1640 medium and 50 μl of Corning ® Matrigel® Basement Membrane Matrix. When the tumors became palpable, the mice were randomized into the different groups (8 mice in the control group and 8 in treated group) according to the tumor volume. This was estimated by measurements with a caliper of the two tumor diameters and using the following formula of a spheroid:

V=(a·b{circumflex over ( )}2·π/6

where a and b correspond to the longest and shortest diameter, respectively. Tumor volume was monitored three times per week.

Survival evaluation: Mice were sacrificed when their tumor diameter reached a volume of 1000 mm³. The time to reach the endpoint criterion was estimated from the day of treatment start. The statistical differences were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves with the log rank test. Statistical analyzes were performed using the SPSS-17.0 program.

2. Results 2.1 Efficacy Results

The peptides of the invention were found to be highly efficient in inhibiting the proliferation of different lung cancer cells. The experimental data are summarized in Table 5 below:

TABLE 5 EC₅₀ (μM) Cell line LH01 LH02 H02 H04 H14 H-82 >100 ≈7 n.t. n.t. ≈12.5 H-187 >100 ≈10 n.t. n.t. ≈10 H-524 n.t. n.t. ≈15  ≈9 ≈12.5 H-526 n.t. n.t. ≈10 ≈11 n.t. H-69 n.t. n.t. n.t. n.t. ≈7 H-510A n.t. n.t. n.t. n.t. ≈12 LH01 is used for comparative purposes; n.t. = not-tested

Peptide of the invention H14 was also tested to confirm its antiproliferative action in other cancer cell lines, such as breast, leukemia cell and glioblastoma lines. Surprisingly, it was found that the peptide was active, as provided in Table 6 below:

TABLE 6 EC₅₀ (μM) MCF-7 HL-60 GBM-18 GMB-27 H14 ≈9 ≈14 ≈4 ≈5

In addition, H14 mutants peptide (i.e. peptides H14-09, H14-Al2, H14-F12, H14-F14, H14-h2-01, 5 H14-Q06, H14-Q09, H14-Q13, H14-Q15, and H14-S15) were also found to be active against several cancer cell lines, as it is shown in Tables 7 and 8:

TABLE 7 Active compound (EC₅₀) Cell IDP-H14- IDP-H14- IDP-H14- IDP-H14- IDP-H14- line A09 A12 F12 F14 H2-01 H-5B nt ≈2.5 ≈2.5 ≈7.5 ≈2.5 H-82 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 H-187 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 H-510A ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 EC₅₀ expressed in μM

TABLE 8 Active compound (EC₅₀) Cell IDP-H14- IDP-H14- IDP-H14- IDP-H14- IDP-H14- line Q6 Q9 Q13 Q15 S15 H-5B ≈7.5 nt ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈2.5 H-82 ≈7.5 nt ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 H-187 ≈7.5 ≈12.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 H-510A ≈12.5 nt ≈12.5 ≈7.5 ≈7.5 EC₅₀ expressed in μM

Surprisingly, with the punctual mutations the resulting peptides showed an improved efficacy vs H14.

When peptide H14 was conjugated to a CPP, the efficacy was also substantially improved, as it is shown in Table 9:

TABLE 9 Active compound (EC₅₀) Cell line IDP-H14-CPP H-5B ≈7.5 H-82 ≈7.5 H-187 ≈7.5 H-510A ≈7.5 EC₅₀ expressed in μM

2.2 Hepatotoxicity

The experimental data are summarized in Table 10 below:

TABLE 10 H14 (μM) % Viability SD Untreated 100.0 4.5 0.5% SDS 13.6 0.1  4 112.9 10.0 14 119.1 18.7

At the dose of 4 and 14 μM (doses confirmed as therapeutically effective), peptide H14 is not toxic for normal hepatocytes.

2.3 Western Blot Results

NCl-H187 cells were incubated with concentrations of 1 μM and 10 μM of peptide H14.

The response was measured at two incubation times (6 h and 12 h). It was found that H14 induced apoptosis in the tested cell lines at both incubation times, increasing the amount of cleaved Parp protein consistently with the concentration (see FIG. 1).

NCl-H510A cells were incubated with concentrations of 1 μM and 10 μM of peptide-H14.

The response was measured after a 6 h incubation time. It was found that H14 induced apoptosis in the tested cell line, consistently increasing the amount of activated Caspases-3 with the concentration of peptide (see FIG. 2).

2.4. Stability Results

The experimental data are summarized in Table 11 below:

TABLE 11 H14 concentration and incubation H14 amount time (% peak area) Plasma, 100 ng/mL, 0 h, human 100 Plasma, 100 ng/mL, 1 h, human 96.1 Plasma, 100 ng/mL, 2 h, human 96.1 Plasma, 100 ng/mL, 4 h, human 101.61 Plasma, 100 ng/mL, 6 h, human 97.21 Plasma, 100 ng/mL, 24 h, human 108.5 Plasma, 1000 ng/mL, 0 h, human 100 Plasma, 1000 ng/mL, 1 h, human 100.8 Plasma, 1000 ng/mL, 2 h, human 94.9 Plasma, 1000 ng/mL, 4 h, human 95.4 Plasma, 1000 ng/mL, 6 h, human 99.9 Plasma, 1000 ng/mL, 24 h, human 100.6 *difference ±10% are considered not-significant according to the method analysis

From the above data, it can be concluded that the peptides of the invention have a high half-life and stability in human plasma.

2.5 Efficacy Results In vivo Tumor Growth

As can be seen in the Table 12, H14 reduced significantly tumor growth with respect to the control. In particular, at the end-time (when the control in sacrificed) the tumor reduction corresponds to 70%:

TABLE 12 Comparison of the tumor volume between groups of untreated mice (control) and treated mice with H14 i.p. Day of treatment Group 1 6 9 16 21 Tumor Control 70.6 190.4 350.9 750.1 1150.3 Volume IDPH14 70.0 70.1 150.1 250.4 350 25 mg/kg

As it is derived from these results, the administration of H14 peptide slows down cancer progression. Thus, it can be concluded that H14 can be used as anticancer drug alone or even in combination with chemo- or radiotherapy.

In view of the results provided above, the other peptides which have been in vitro tested, and which are active, are expected to work in the same way as H14.

For reasons of completeness, various aspects of the invention are set out in the following numbered clauses:

Clause 1. A peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof:

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, and “q” represent integers and are selected from 0 and 1; and “r” is comprised from 1 to 10; the peptide comprising:

-   -   a linker birradical of formula (II)

—[(R₁)_(a)—(R₂)—(R₃)]_(c)—   (II)

which is connecting an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i” in the peptide sequence of formula (I) with an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i+3” or “i+7” in the peptide sequence of formula (I),

-   -   a C-terminal end corresponding to —C(O)R₄; and     -   a N-terminal end corresponding to —NHR₅;         wherein         -   “a” and “b” are the same or different and are 0 or 1;         -   “c” is comprised from 1 to 10;         -   R₁ and R₃ are birradicals independently selected from the             group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl             substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group             consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉,             —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₂; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl             substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group             consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉,             —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₂; (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl; and (C₂-C₁₀)alkinyl             substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group             consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉,             —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R_(12;)         -   R₂ is a birradical selected from the group consisting of:             —O—, C(═O), C(⊚O)NR₁₃, C(═O)O,l S(═O), S(═O)₂, NR₁₄,             (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₀₁)alkynyl, —NR₁₅—NR₁₆—, —N═N—, —S—S—,             and a known ring system comprising from 3 to 14 members, the             system comprising from 1 to 3 rings, where:             -   each one of the rings is saturated, partially                 unsaturated, or aromatic;             -   the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused,             -   each one of the members forming the known ring system is                 selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—,                 —NH—, —N—, —SH—, —S—, and —O—; and             -   the ring system is optionally substituted by one or more                 radicals independently selected from the group                 consisting of halogen, —OH, —NO₂, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl,                 (C₁-C₁₀)haloalkyl, and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl-O—; and         -   R₄ is a radical selected from the group consisting of —OH             and —NR₁₇R₁₅;         -   R₅ is a radical selected from the group consisting of —H and             (C₁-C₂₀)alkyl;         -   R₆, R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅, R₁₆, R₁₇ and             R₁₈ are radicals independently selected from the group             consisting of: —H and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and         -   the amino acids which are connected by the linker being of             formula (III)

-   -   wherein         -   R₁₉ is a monoradical selected from the group consisting of:             (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl, and a known             ring system comprising from 3 to 14 members, the system             comprising from 1 to 3 rings, where:         -   each one of the rings is saturated, partially unsaturated,             or aromatic;         -   the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused,         -   each one of the members forming the known ring system is             selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—, —NH—,             —N—, —SH—, —S—, and —O—.

Clause 2. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to clause 1, wherein “r”, “a”, “b”, and “c” are 1.

Clause 3. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, wherein R₁ and R₃ are birradicals independently selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl.

Clause 4. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, wherein R₂ is a birradical selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl.

Clause 5. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, wherein R₁₉ is a monoradical selected from the group consisting of: (C₁₀-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl.

Clause 6. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are (C₁₀-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; “m” and “n” are the same; and “p” and “q” are the same.

Clause 7. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, wherein the C-terminal end corresponds to —C(O)OH or —C(O)NH₂, and the N-terminal end corresponds to —NH₂.

Clause 8. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, which is of formula (Ia) or (Ib):

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, “q”, L, and R₁₉ are as defined above.

Clause 9. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, which is selected from group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 2, 3, and 4.

Clause 10. The peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to any one of the previous clauses, which is conjugated to a label or a drug.

Clause 11. A fusion protein comprising the peptide as defined in any one of the previous clauses and, optionally, a cell penetrating peptide.

Clause 12. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of the peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in any one of the clauses 1-10, or the fusion protein as defined in clause 11, together with acceptable pharmaceutical excipients and/or carriers.

Clause 13. A peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in any one of the clauses 1-10 or a fusion protein as defined in clause 11 for use as a medicament.

Clause 14. A peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof as defined in any one of the clauses 1-10 or a fusion protein as defined in clause 11 for use in the treatment of cancer.

Clause 15. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof for use according to clause 14, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of: leukemia, breast cancer, glioblastoma, and lung cancer.

CITATION LIST

-   Altschul et al., “Basic local alignment search tool”, 1990, J. Mol.     Biol, v. 215, pages 403-410; -   Copolovici D. M. et al., “Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Design,     Synthesis, and Applications”, 2014, ACS Nano, 2014, 8 (3), pp     1972-1994; -   Higgins et al., “CLUSTAL V: improved software for multiple sequence     alignment”, 1992, CABIOS, 8(2), pages 189-191; -   Kim Young-Woo et al., “Synthesis of all-hydrocarbon stapled     a-helical peptides by ring-closing olefin metathesis”, Nature     Protocols, 2011, 6(6), p. 761-771; -   Kolb H. C. et al., “The growing impact of click chemistry on drug     discovery”, 2003, Drug Discov Today, 8(24):1128-1137); and -   Scott J. M. et al., “Application of Ring-Closing Metathesis to the     Synthesis of Rigidified Amino Acids and Peptides”,1996, J. Am. Chem.     Soc., 1996, 118 (40), pp 9606-9614. 

1. A peptide of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof:

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, and “q” represent integers and are selected from 0 and 1; and “r” is an integer from 1 to 10; the peptide comprising: a linker biradical “L” of formula (II) —[(R₁)a—(R₂)—(R₃)_(b)]_(c)—   (II) which is connecting an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i” in the peptide sequence of formula (I) with an alpha carbon atom of an amino acid located at position “i+4” or “i+7” in the peptide sequence of formula (I), a C-terminal end corresponding to —C(O)R₄; and a N-terminal end corresponding to —NHR₅; wherein. “a” and “b” are the same or different and are 0 or 1; “c” is comprised an integer from 1 to 10; R₁ and R₃ are biradicals independently selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉, —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₂; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉, —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₁; (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl; and (C₂-C₁₀)alkinyl substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group consisting of: halogen, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, —OR₆, —NR₇R₈, —SR₉, —SO₂R₁₁, and —CO₂R₁₂; R₂ is a biradical selected from the group consisting of: —O—, C(═O), C(═O )NR₁₃, C(═O)O, S(═O), S(═O)₂, NR₁₄, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl, —S—S—, and a known ring system comprising from 3 to 14 members, the system comprising from 1 to 3 rings, where: each one of the rings is saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic; the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused, each one of the members forming the known ring system is selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—, —NH—, —SH—, —S—, and —O—; and the ring system is optionally substituted by one or more radicals independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, —OH, —NO₂, (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₁-C₁₀)haloalkyl, and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl-O-—; and R₄ is a radical selected from the group consisting of —OH and —NR₁₇R₁₈; R₅ is a radical selected from the group consisting of —H and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₆, R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅, R₁₆, R₁₇ and R₁₈ are radicals independently selected from the group consisting of: —H and (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; and the amino acids which are connected by the linker being of formula (III)

wherein R₁₉ is a monoradical selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl, and a known ring system comprising from 3 to 14 members, the system comprising from 1 to 3 rings, where:  each one of the rings is saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic;  the rings are isolated, partially or totally fused,  each one of the members forming the known ring system is selected from the group consisting of: —CH—, —CH₂—, —NH—, —N—, —SH—, —S—, and —O—; or, alternatively, a peptide or pharmaceutical acceptable salt thereof having an identity of at least 85% with the peptide of sequence SEQ ID NO: 18

wherein L is a linker biradical of formula (II) as defined above, and X is an amino acid of formula (III), as defined above.
 2. The peptide according to claim 1 which is one of formula (I) or a pharmaceutical salt thereof:

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, “q”, and “r” are as defined in claim 1, and the peptide comprises a linker biradical of formula (II), a C-terminal end and a N-terminal end as defined in claim
 1. 3. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein “r”, “a”, “b”, and “c” are
 1. 4. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein R₁ and R₃ are biradicals independently selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl.
 5. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein R₂ is a biradical selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl.
 6. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein R₁₉ is a monoradical selected from the group consisting of: (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl, (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl, and (C₂-C₁₀)alkynyl.
 7. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein R₁, R₃ and R₁₉ are (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl; R₂ is (C₂-C₁₀)alkenyl; “m” and “n” are the same; and “p” and “q” are the same.
 8. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, wherein the C-terminal end corresponds to —C(O)OH or —C(O)NH₂, and the N-terminal end corresponds to —NH₂.
 9. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, which is of formula (Ia) or (Ib):

wherein “m”, “n”, “p”, “q”, L, and R₁₉ are as defined in any of the preceding claims.
 10. The peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof according to claim 1, which is a peptide or pharmaceutical acceptable salt thereof having an identity of at least 85% with the peptide of sequence SEQ ID NO: 18 and it is selected from the group consisting of: (ibis1), (ibis2), (ibis3), (ibis4), (ibis5) and (ibis6):

wherein AA₃ is an amino acid other than Thr, and “X” and “L” are as defined above;

wherein AA₄ is an amino acid other than Glu, and “X” and “L” are as defined above;

wherein AA₅ is an amino acid other than Pro, and “X” and “L” are as defined above;

wherein AA₂ is an amino acid other than Ala, AA₃ is an amino acid other than Thr, AA₄ is an amino acid other than Glu, and “X” and “L” are as defined above;

wherein AA₁ is an amino acid other than Asn, and “X” and “L” are as defined above;

wherein AA₂ is an amino acid other than Ala, and “X” and “L” are as defined above.
 11. The peptide according to claim 1, which is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 2 to
 14. 12. The peptide according to claim 1, which is conjugated to a label, a drug or, alternatively, to a stabilizing moiety.
 13. The peptide according to claim 12, which is of sequence SEQ ID NO:
 16. 14. A fusion protein comprising the peptide or pharmaceutical acceptable salt thereof as defined in claim 1 and, optionally, a cell penetrating peptide.
 15. The fusion protein according to claim 14, which is of sequence SEQ ID NO:
 17. 16. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of the peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof of claim 1, together with acceptable pharmaceutical excipients and/or carriers.
 17. (canceled)
 18. A method of treating cancer, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the peptide or a pharmaceutical salt thereof of claim 1 to a subject in need thereof.
 19. The method of, claim 18, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of: leukemia, breast cancer, glioblastoma, and lung cancer.
 20. A method of treating cancer, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the fusion protein of claim 14 to a subject in need thereof.
 21. A method of treating cancer, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition of claim 16 to a subject in need thereof. 